


Tales of the Society: The Azure Age Chapter 10

by LadyofI



Series: Tales of the Society [10]
Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-06
Updated: 2019-08-06
Packaged: 2020-08-10 16:51:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 28,305
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20138779
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyofI/pseuds/LadyofI
Summary: This is it. The Society's final battle with the Azure Initiative.





	1. The Calm Before the Storm

_“And that was the end of Purgatory’s less-than-well-intentioned attempt to ‘purify’ the Nexus,” Scafe finished. “And for the record, Irene…yeah, you made up for Old Iridu and _then some._”_

_“I’ll say,” Gabe added enthusiastically. “How the heck you came up with that soul-merging plan in the middle of _that_ mess, I’ll never know.”_

_“What can I say? I had one chance to save him, and that was all I could think to do.” Although Irene shrugged nonchalantly, her smile betrayed her elation at the memory of her successful gamble. “That aside…once we killed Purgatory and took her propaganda off the Nexian airwaves for good, all that was left was Weiss himself-”_

_“Whoa, hang on a sec!” Nessa exclaimed. “If I’ve been following this story right, there were _two_ other members of the Azure Initiative aside from Weiss - Quantum and Amethyst. Didn’t you have to go through them on the way to put a boot up the head honcho’s smug ass?”_

_“You’d _think_ so…but it seems that things weren’t so happy on their end,” Eli replied. “Robo-ark ran for the hills when Weiss was done for…and from what little we saw of him, he’d turned on the scar-faced fuck before we even came in. As for Amy…well…”_

_“For once, _I_ was one step ahead of Quantum~” The words brought everyone’s attention back to the cloaked figure as she finally shrugged off her robe; to the shock of the Society’s guests, it was none other than Amethyst herself. “And I _still_ don’t understand why you have to turn on the winter weather for Christmas, Brian; it’s _already_ cold enough most of the time!” She crossed her mechanical arms over her barely-covered chest as she spoke._

_“_I_ still don’t understand _how_ you get through your days dressed like that,” Zs grumbled. “Seriously, it’s like you still have a death wish; was the near-miss with Weiss not enough for you?”_

_While Amethyst made a face at Zs, Max elaborated for a bewildered Nessa’s benefit. “Amethyst saw the writing on the wall and abandoned the Azure Initiative while we were dealing with Purgatory,” he said. “We wouldn’t learn that until _after_ we began our hunt for Weiss…but we’re getting ahead of ourselves, aren’t we?”_

_“We are indeed,” Tsuneo nodded. “So let’s pick up where we left off: the Crimson Society’s triumphant return from the defunct Cathedral. The end was in sight…but we had a _lot_ to discuss before we could make our final push.”_

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

## Tales of the Society - The Azure Age

### Chapter 10.1: The Calm Before The Storm

After making sure that the entire Society had safely made it through the teleporter, the five Councilmen assembled in the War Room to discuss their next move; with yet another Initiative member down, they were eager to put an end to this feud.

“Alright, that’s the _second_ biggest pain in our collective ass down…which leaves the head honcho himself.” A brief twitch in the corner of Brian’s mouth was the only sign of his pleasure at the current situation; he knew better than to consider the job done before it actually was. “It’s high time we shut Weiss up for good.”

“First, we gotta locate him,” Scafe said. “He’s been surprisingly stealthy…didn’t think he could hold back his boasting long enough to move under the radar.”

“I wouldn’t bet on it, Scafe; look at _that!_” Eli motioned to the monitors, which they’d neglected to turn off before they set out to strike Purgatory down. Amid reports of the Surface recovering from the Cathedral’s effects, there was news of a giant storm cloud over the freshly-renamed New Iridu City - its presence had left the city pitch-black, save for the occasional flash of dark purple lightning.

“Well…that’s weird even by _Nexian_ standards.” Brian raised an eyebrow. “I mean, I’ve seen freak lightning storms - ‘specially that god-awful Red Lightning - but most of them had the courtesy to give _some_ warning of their approach.”

“_Somebody call for a high chance of thunder and lightning with a side order of salt?_” Zeus asked wryly.

“Betcha my finest suit that’s where he’s holed himself up,” Eli agreed.

“Ain’t it just like Weiss…” Scafe sighed. “Venting his rage for us on innocent bystanders…what a pansy…”

“Be that as it may, Scafe; we _are_ talking about Weiss here,” Max responded. “Cowardly blowhard or not, he’s got bite to back up his bark…especially when he gets angry. If we underestimate Weiss now, we’ll sorely regret it.”

“Max’s right,” Tsuneo added. “With the Cathedral neutralized, Weiss is backed into a corner…and _nothing’s_ more dangerous than a cornered rat. If we don’t hunt him down and end him _now_, he’ll either get the hell outta dodge or do everything in his power to take as many people down with him as he can - Society, Azure, and innocent alike.”

“_Excuse me? Aren’t you guys **forgetting** something?_” Zeus interrupted. “_You keep talking about Weiss as if he’s the last card in the Initiative’s deck, yet that couldn’t be further from the truth!_”

“What, are you talking about Amethyst?” Brian snorted incredulously. “Sure, she’s with the Initiative, but she’s not much of a fighter. What’s she gonna do, _pose_ at us or someth- OW!” He yelped as his right hand delivered a resounding slap to his face.

“_First of all…Brian. STOP. TEMPTING. FATE!!_” Zeus snarled. “_Need I remind you that Cyber-Goattits was the reason WE LOST OUR FIRST BASE TO BEGIN WITH?!_”

“…Oh…right.” It was unclear if Brian was more sheepish or dazed as he rubbed his face with his uninfected hand.

“_Technically,_ you lost it because of _my_ dumbassery, but the point stands.” Irene’s comment from the door prompted Tsuneo to wave her off.

“There’s also Quantum to worry about,” Scafe noted. “He might not be a direct threat - especially if he’s still recovering from that last beatdown we gave him - but he’s been scouting us since before our reformation. Weiss probably has countermeasures set in place for all of us by now.”

“_**Thank you** for actually remembering that cheating Pokéfuck!_” Zeus let out an irritated growl as he continued. “_However, I wasn’t referring to _either_ of them. You all seem to have forgotten about the last ex-member who disgraced our Society with his presence…the OTHER Locke. Y’know, the one with four arms, a German accent, wind powers, and…oh, I dunno……**a goddamn ARMY** at his disposal!?_”

Eli, Scafe, and Brian cringed at the reminder, but Tsuneo shook his head. “N.E.D. won’t be a factor here,” he said. “Think about it, Dumbassite. There’s not been _one_ soldier of the Neo-Army among Weiss’s ranks; they’ve all been pet projects or personal hire-ons from the other members.”

“We _have_ seen a few Neo-Empire bases…but those could easily have been abandoned sites repurposed by Weiss’s lot,” Max added. “If Nesmon _was_ an active member, we’d have had an even rougher time of it thus far; as it is, I think he’s limited his involvement to providing resources to the Initiative.” He rubbed his chin under his mask as he amended his theory. “Given how little he seems to have contributed, I think even calling him ‘benefactor’ might be a stretch.”

“Whoa whoa whoa, wait a sec… A-Are you saying that Nesmon would just _watch_ his little brother experience failure after failure? Without doing a damn thing about it?!” Brian’s ears drooped a little as he asked that question; as much as he loathed N.E.D. and Weiss alike, his stomach turned unpleasantly at the thought of a man _choosing_ to leave his sibling to suffer. “I mean, lunatic Neo-Nazi and all, but…that’s still his _brother_ he’s throwing under the bus…?”

“It makes _perfect_ tactical sense,” Tsuneo replied grimly. “Blood may be thicker than water, but Nesmon’s always been a _soldier_ first and foremost…and he knows a liability when he sees one. Why would the Neo Empire waste resources on Weiss’s childish revenge scheme when Nesmon can just-”

“Um, guys?” Irene piped up as she peeked around the open door once again, accompanied by several other Society members this time. “Hate to interrupt the official Council business, but…did I hear you say ‘Nesmon?’ As in, **‘Nesmon Locke?’**”

“Yep…” Brian responded wearily. “Or, as he prefers to call himself…**N.E.D.** \- the **N**eo **E**mpire **D**eity.”

“We just like to call him _Nazi Von Killyou~_” Scafe chuckled.

“I thought we agreed on _Nazi Goro…_” Eli groaned.

“Fucking _hell,_ I thought I’d never have to deal with that shithead again.” Irene’s hand made resounding contact with her face. “Fun fact: before the Cobalt Bomb incident, N.E.D. tried to hire me as some sort of weapons engineer. I don’t know whether to be amused that the Neo-Nazi fuckface wanted to hire _a black woman_ to make weapons…or insulted that he thought I’d _go_ for it.” She shook her head after removing her hand. “I should’ve _known_ that he’d be related to Mr. Maple-Leaf Scar - they’re equally obnoxious pains in the wings!”

“Ahem…that aside.” Max cleared his throat as he returned to the previous topic. “If our hunch is correct, Nesmon and his army won’t be a concern for the moment; instead, we can focus on finally wiping the floor with his angrier little brother.” 

“_Fine…but that still leaves one important question,_” Zeus answered. “_With Weiss, Quantum, and Amethyst being the only ones left…where do we go from here?_”

“Simple,” Juliet strode through the doorway, slamming a fist into her open palm. “I say we skip the strategic bullshit and just go out there, guns blazing. It’s three vs. a shit ton. Weiss does not stand a chance.”

“_Juliet…didn’t they ever teach you that going in “guns blazing” is just another way of saying _‘Let’s all make complete asses of ourselves and get killed out there~!’_?_” Zeus sighed, earning his host a glare from the cyborg.

“I don’t see _you_ coming up with any brilliant plans, you damn tapeworm.”

“We could start by calling up Cipher,” Eli suggested. “He _did_ promise to tip us off to the location of Weiss’s base if we shut down the Cathedral, right?”

“Actually, he never promised _anything_ like that,” Brian shrugged. “It was Purgatory only…and I’d rather not rely on him more than we need to. Call me paranoid, but I just have a…_bad_ feeling in my gut about amoral sorts like him.”

“Yeah…” Eli frowned, “…but he offered to give us a tip on the Azure’s base if we stopped the Cathedral, remember? No matter how he tries to twist it, we silenced those mind-breaking mantras in his head, so I’d say he owes us another favor…no better time to cash in than now, to put Mapleface down for good!”

“And that proves that you don’t know the amoral sorts like I do, rainbowmane.” Tsuneo pointedly ignored Eli’s scowl at the casual nickname as he elaborated. “From what I heard about that business with Quantum, you did Cipher a _personal_ favor back there; in the eyes of someone like him, that puts him in our debt. On the other hand, the Cathedral was affecting _everyone_, and saving Cipher from it was more of a cursory benefit - he won’t be as forthcoming to repay us with sensitive information.”

“Uhh…as much as I feel like I’m outta the loop here…do we even _need_ a lead?” JoJo piped up. “I mean, it’s pretty obvious where Weiss is, isn’t it? We just have to fly the airship over there and go through it with a fine-toothed comb!”

“Eeyup…scour the _biggest city on the Nexus_ during the lightning storm of the century. _That_ can’t possibly go wrong,” Scafe replied sarcastically. “Even if we _had_ the manpower to cover the whole city, the storm would fry the _Ruby Revenant_ the moment it came in range…much less our flying members. That leaves us searching from the ground, and that _still_ won’t protect us from stray lightning.”

“Radar scans from a distance are out too; a storm like that runs way too much interference. We’d never find any leads like th-” Max was interrupted by a loud screeching noise. “Agh…the hell?”

“Oh! The Ham’s picking up something!” Brian couldn’t hide his glee as he walked over to a vintage radio on a nearby shelf, oblivious to the bewilderment of his fellow Councilmen.

“Who the _fuck_ uses a Ham Radio in this day and age?” Tsuneo and Eli both queried simultaneously. “Oh great, now I’m _agreeing_ with him. _Look what you made me do!_” They had just enough time to exchange a dirty look before Irene summoned a pair of portals to smack them both at once.

“Focus, please.” The butterfly-winged woman’s frown contrasted the amused twinkle in her eyes as the revenant and the chinchilla rubbed their heads where she had slapped them. Meanwhile, Brian picked up the radio and began tuning it to better listen in on the other end. After several seconds of twisting dials and adjusting antennae, he managed to clear up the signal enough to make words audible over the background noise.

“_S-S-Someone…h-help me…_” Even amid the clamor of thunder and continued bouts of static, the speaker’s utter desperation was obvious. “_I-If _anyone_ out there can hear me right now, I need an evac, pronto! I’m in the Iridu Memorial Park, taking cover from the st-storm, but I don’t know h-h-how long I can last - if you’re hearing this, send help! P-please…I’ll do _anything!_ Just get me outta this city…**b-before HE finds me!**_”

By now, most of the Society had gathered outside the meeting room door, staring in mild shock at the frantic pleas over the radio. A few members - namely the Councilmen, Irene, and Emily - started slightly as they recognized the voice, but before any of them could announce their realization, Gabe beat them to it.

“Oh my god…_Sis!_” From his expression, the goat-boy was torn between elation at hearing his sister’s voice and terror at her current predicament. “I knew it - I _knew_ she’d do it eventually! Hang on, Amy - we’re coming to save you!” He turned on his heel and sprinted down the hall at top speed, leaving the rest of the Society staring at the spot where he had stood mere seconds ago.

“Welp…” Tsuneo said at last. “There’s one Azure defector… Anyone got any objections to following Gabe’s lead?”

“…As much as I’d _love_ to object…” Irene’s wings darkened as she sucked in a breath through her nose, waiting for her anger to simmer down slightly before continuing. “…I’m in no position to veto a rescue mission. You boys are _hopefully_ smart enough to decide whether or not to trust her when we save her stupid ass.”

“You raise a good point…but it’s irrelevant right now,” Max answered. “If Gabe’s right and she _has_ been dealing with abuse all this time, it’s little wonder she’s running now when Weiss is at his angriest. And if she’s on the run, we can use this opportunity to our advantage; she knows where Weiss lives, so we can take the fight to him after we get her.”

“We haven’t forgotten everything she’s done; she’ll answer for all of it once this is over,” Scafe added. “For now, though…she could be the last piece we need to seal Weiss’s fate.” His firm nod was mirrored by Brian as the latter slammed his uninfected palm on the table.

“So this is it, then…our final battle against these Azure fucks. Once we rendezvous with Amethyst, we’ll have her lead us right to Weiss in exchange for protecting her from him. From there, we just have to deal with him and Quantum and be back home in time for a celebratory Grape Soda!” Brian’s proclamation brought a chorus of mixed groans and chuckles from his friends, along with a growl from Zeus.

“_Then what the hell are we waiting for? Let's end this!_” The Parasite’s declaration was met with a rallying cheer from the rest of the room’s occupants…save one.

“I’m out.” Everyone turned to Tsuneo as he slumped back into a chair; despite the mask covering his face, he radiated a rare feeling of exhaustion. “As much as I’d love to join the last push…even I have limits. Marcell, Sylvie, Saturn, _and_ Purgatory are all dead by my hand. I’ve pulled plenty of weight here; hell, I pretty much _died_ for once in our last outing… Y’all can handle this one without me; I think…no, I _know_ that Weiss doesn’t stand a chance against you.”

“Agreed.” Irene gave a small smile as she leaned forward to give the revenant a small kiss on the forehead. “I don’t think I could handle the thought of losing you a _second_ time, hun.” 

“Yeah, don’t sweat it,” Eli added. “You just kick back for once; we’ll be sure to give you the full rundown on the world-class beatdown we gave Weiss when you wake up from your once-in-an-unlifetime beauty sleep~!” 

“You wish,” Tsuneo snarked back. “I might be off the field, but I’ll still lend you a hand; once you hit the ground running, I’ll be with you on Long-Range QE and providing field intel. Irene and I were all over New Iridu in the week before we met up with you guys, so I have a good understanding of the area to navigate on.”

“Should I make more fireworks so you can see our location or provide a distraction?” Irene let out a small chuckle at the memory.

“_Very_ funny. But this is the last push; you _may_ want to bring the big bombs for it.”

Irene’s face fell. “I can’t. My rocket launcher got fucked ten ways to next year, courtesy of Saturn.” Her admission only caused Tsuneo to shake his head with a chuckle of his own.

“_BIG bombs,_ love. You can portal-drop those.” As quickly as it had come, his levity vanished as he looked to the others. “...Well, what’re you waiting for? You should assemble the others at the launch pad. I’ll be right here, cheering you on.”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Can’t believe it…we’re finally going to the home stretch.” Scafe sighed wistfully as he looked up at the ceiling of the hangar. “It feels like just yesterday that we ended the career of that screaming lizard, Marcell.”

“I know, man - time flies when you’re wrecking the shit of some total shitheads.” Eli idly adjusted his shades as he surveyed the Society members assembling before him and the other Councilmen. “What really gets me is how _well_ this all shaped up for us - wrecked bases, near-misses, and constant threats to the wider Nexus aside, the Azure Initiative drove us to make our Society bigger and better than ever! It kinda makes you wonder if Weiss was doomed to fail from the moment he formed his little band of misfits.”

“Nah…” Brian replied. “As a wise man once said, ‘_The only thing that evil needs to triumph is for good men to do nothing._’ We stepped up, we kicked ass, and we grew…in strength, numbers, and _unity_.” He indicated his allies with a small gesture of his head. “Now we take this last step together; as a whole Council, and as a much larger Society.”

Scafe, Eli, and Max nodded silently, but the moment was broken by a shout from the back of the assembled group. “Can we maybe save the epic speeches for _after_ we win? I’d love to see Weiss’s reaction when you spout that shit in his face after we own him for good!” Dante’s usual cocky impatience earned him a few sidelong looks, but the Councilmen nodded in agreement with his words.

“For once in your crazy, gung-ho life, you’re absolutely right,” Eli said with just a hint of wry amusement. “We can reminisce and party later; right now, we’ve got a juiced-up jackass to stop and his ex-girlfriend to save.” He regarded the rest of the Society with a lopsided grin. “Hope you’re all ready for the biggest battle of your lives - whatever happens, Weiss is _absolutely_ gonna die as he lived; fuck-all **loudly.**”

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“**DIE,** YOU UNDERHANDED CYBER-POKÉ-FUCK!!!” Weiss punctuated his bellow with a literally thunderous punch against Quantum’s hard light barrier. Their fight had taken them back to the main level of the HQ; despite its shock-proofing measures, it was taking quite a bit of punishment from the intense battle between the Azure leader and his ex-subordinate.

“I am no longer obligated to obey your orders, Weiss.” In stark (but not surprising) contrast to his former leader, Quantum showed no emotion as he dropped his barrier, darting away as Weiss’s next blow left a large crater where he had been an instant before. His eyes flashed as cybernetic code ran down his body, causing an almost holographic duplicate of himself to emerge from his shadow.

“You think that old **Facsimile** trick is gonna save you?!” Weiss spat. “A whole damn _army_ of your stupid holo-clones couldn’t even _begin_ to match my power!” He fired another electrical orb at his targets, but they ran in opposite directions to evade the blast.

“Your power is indeed superior…but it means nothing to my analytical prowess.” Quantum explained. “I’ve studied your moves ever since our first spar. While victory is by no means guaranteed, the odds of a favorable outcome for you are minimal at best.”

“Spoken like a cocky little smart ass…” Weiss growled. “You can’t always apply science to every fucking battle!”

“As always, Weiss, you ignore the obvious logic.” Quantum’s voice was bland, but his eyes flashed as his Assault Facsimile charged at the enhanced human’s exposed back. Unfortunately for him, Weiss had expected that; by darting aside with his arm outstretched, he was able to dispel the Facsimile with a sudden clothesline to the face. “Your rage has betrayed your position to all; the storm now consuming this city is like a beacon to your many enemies. Even if you manage to defeat me, it is only a matter of time before the Society arrives to finish the job.”

“And _of course_ you bring them up, too!” Weiss threw up his arms in exasperation, also summoning a series of small lightning bolts for Quantum to dodge. “Not that it ever mattered; the Society may have been our public enemy number one, but you incompetent bastards were _always_ the real problem! If it wasn’t a failure to live up to the hype, it was outright backstabbing, just like you’re doing _right the hell now!_”

“Negative, Weiss; the only betrayer here is _yourself._” Were it not for his emotionless drone, Quantum might’ve spat the last word. “Your selfish ambitions have brought ruin to everything and everyone around you. The Society who once called you a friend…and showed you mercy even when you proved unworthy of it. Your brother, who took you in when you had nowhere to go…and to whom we owe even our current abode. And most of all, the men and women who joined your cause…with ulterior motives, perhaps, but nonetheless dedicated to your vision of a world without the Society. All of them have suffered and died for your impotent rage.” He closed his eyes with the barest hint of grief, although it didn’t stop him from nearly blowing a hole in Weiss with his next Cypher Blast. “There is no denying logic, Weiss; your own flaws doomed your dreams before they even began.”

“We-e-ell…since you like being all _smart,_ why don’t you chew on this little math formula~?” Weiss grinned as his body began to surge with lightning. “Concentrated Lightning plus Raw Focus equals _what~?_”

Before Quantum could respond, Weiss’s aura pulsed violently before breaking off to form a new entity. It was similar to one of Quantum’s Facsimiles; a bright blue silhouette surging with electricity, two intensely glowing eyes its only feature. The cyborg Pokémon was caught by surprise long enough for the electric doppelganger to deliver a swift shocking palm right to his stomach. The damage was absorbed by Quantum’s personal barrier, but the force behind it still sent him flying across the room before he caught his footing.

“Urk……how curious.” Despite reeling from the sudden blow, the Zoroark’s droning voice barely fluctuated. “This…was not in my data…”

“That’s ‘cause I cooked it up during my Hardcore Training these past few days~” Weiss grinned devilishly as his doppelganger vanished into sparks. “_Volt Shadow,_ as I like to call it~”

“Impressive…” Quantum responded with a hint of interest. “While I was aware of your efforts to prepare yourself for the Society, my projections did not anticipate _this_ level of improvement. That was an error, I admit…but now that I have updated my databanks, your advantage will soon be nullified.”

“Oh, you sweet fucking summer child…” Weiss shook his head patronizingly. “Quantum…buddy…did you forget who the _leader_ of this fucking group is?! Did you think that I wasn’t prepared to kick _all_ of your sorry asses if I even _thought_ you were planning to contest that?!” As quickly as it had come, his smirk reverted to his previous angry expression. “I _earned_ my keep, you robotic fleabag. _No one_ can outdo me. Not Purgatory. Not 1:30. Not you. AND _ESPECIALLY_ NOT MY GOOD-FOR-NOTHING OLDER BROTHER!”

“And yet, the Crimson Society has humiliated you more than Nesmon ever could.” From the way Weiss’s eyes flashed, Quantum’s statement had struck a massive nerve. “Every plan you have devised has fallen flat against their efforts, be it tactical acumen courtesy of Tsuneo, improvisation from Eli and Brian, brute force provided by the likes of Max and Scafe, the sheer numbers of the new blood they’ve taken on…or even their general ability to draw illogical amounts of good fortune.” He briefly rubbed his chin with his organic claw, recalling his efforts to decipher that last point. “I am not one to consider uncertainties, but…with the Society surpassing you in every respect, the odds of your success are-” He was interrupted by Weiss’s sudden giggling fit.

“Hehehe…hehe…oh Quantum…you may want to rethink that last statement about you not being a betting ‘mon…” Somehow, Quantum’s summation had actually made Weiss eerily calm. “Because everything you’ve done…is pretty much a _bad fucking gamble_. And now I’mma collect what’s owed…**BY RIPPING YOUR GODDAMN HEAD OFF!!!**” His voice rose to a roar as he raised his arms into the air, hands sparking with the most violent electricity yet. “**Because you don’t! _Fuck!_ With! THE BEST!**”

“Weiss, control yourself!” Quantum spoke with a rare hint of urgency as sparks flew around the base, igniting anything caught in their path. “This level of electricity exceeds all of your projected limits - increasing your power further will only endanger yourself and this facility!” 

“If you never listen to another word I say, Robomon, listen to this: _you’re_ the only thing that you should be worried about right now,” Weiss sneered. “Despite what your faulty-ass ‘projections’ might say…**I’ve still got an _ace_ or two up my sleeves~**” His voice gained a sinister, almost distorted note as his power continued to build, the lightning strikes outside growing ever more vicious as fire spread inside the Azure HQ…

**-THE SOCIETY WILL RETURN-**


	2. Surge and Rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> With Amethyst eliminated as a possible threat thanks to her distress call, the CS takes to the skies.

## Tales of the Society - The Azure Age

### Chapter 10.2: Surge and Rescue

**_Last time on_ Tales of the Society…**

_In the wake of their victory over Purgatory, the Crimson Council convened to discuss a long-awaited topic: taking the fight to Weiss himself. An unnatural lightning storm betrayed his presence in New Iridu City, but figuring out how to pinpoint his base amid the chaos proved a much greater stumbling block._

_Amid the discussion, Zeus also pointed out that the Azure Initiative still had a few more members to account for, but Tsuneo and Max ruled out N.E.D. as a collaborator - correctly suspecting that he was lying low while the feud played out - and a distress call from a terrified Amethyst eliminated her as a threat as well. With the promise of a former Azure to point them in the right direction once they had boots on the ground, the Society set off for a full-scale assault…well, _almost_ full. Tsuneo has taken a backseat for this final fight, due to all the damage sustained in the past weeks, but he’ll be there in spirit…as well as in the Society’s ears, due to acting as Mission Control for their final operation against the Azure Initiative._

_Meanwhile, at the center of the storm, Weiss had a heart-to-heart with the newly-traitorous Quantum…in the form of a battle to the death. As Quantum noted, Weiss’s actions have left him utterly alone against the coming threat of the Society; predictably, Weiss still believes that he can still destroy them all. And with his power expanding beyond anything ever seen, threatening the very foundation of his rebellion’s last bastion…this may be a boast he can actually back up…_

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“There it is…” Brian noted from his captain’s chair as the stormy city came into view; ahead of him, Juliet had taken Tsuneo’s seat at the helm. “New Iridu City, formerly known as Eukora Town… We haven’t been here since the initial recruiting run; when we found you, Tim, Em and Becky.” His comment was acknowledged with a nod from the cyborg.

“Kinda fitting, in a way,” Eli chimed in. “The place where the new and improved Crimson Society took its first breath is also where Weiss is gonna be taking his _last._”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves, Eels,” Scafe admonished. “We’ve only just come into view of the city, and we probably won’t get much further by air; any closer and we’ll be blasted outta the sky… Start lookin’ for a place to land, Juliet.”

“10-4, Scafe.” Juliet’s gaze flicked to the satellite map, checking for any signs of an impromptu landing pad; to her dismay, it was heavily saturated with static. “Jeez, even the map’s starting to go from all this residual voltage.”

“If I didn’t know better, I’d say Weiss _planned_ it that way,” Max sighed, rubbing the lenses of his mask. “As it is, I think his egotistic rage is actually working in his favor for once.”

“Well, he ain’t the only one with special powers here!” Brian nodded to Max as he tagged him on the shoulder. “Cargo hatch, with me; if we can’t find a landing place, we’ll damn well _make_ one. Level some land when we touch down; I’ll make the whole thing visible even in these conditions.”

Max returned Brian’s nod as they rose from their seats and moved to the hatch in question. The airship jerked as they approached the door; fortunately, not enough to make them lose their footing. Once he regained his balance, Brian quickly started scribbling up a pair of parachutes.

“Sorry!” Juliet called. “Had to dodge a stray bolt there; I _think_ that’s a sign we should land.” Despite the snark, her concern was audible, prompting Brian to give her a simple nod in response. He then handed one of his parachutes to Max before hitting the main door switch. 

“Alright everyone, once we get boots on the ground, our target is Iridu Memorial Park, dead center of town!” Brian shouted over the growing squalls. “Amethyst has taken shelter out there somewhere from the lightning, but _we_ won’t be so lucky getting there! We have a straight shot to the park if Tsuneo’s intel is accurate, but that means no cover from the bolts!”

“Juliet, we’re gettin’ off here; circle around for another pass in about a minute!” Max called out to her as he and Brian leapt through the open hatch and out the back of the airship. The powerful winds alone nearly blew the pair off course, and Brian yelped as a stray bolt nearly struck him mid-fall.

“**HOLY COCK-DOCKING MONKEY DICK TITTIES SWABBING CAMEL SHIT ALL OVER MY FATHER'S TAINT-SMELLING FART BOX-**” The spider-bunny continued screaming creative profanities as he attempted to open his parachute near the ground; Max had no problems, but Brian’s fidgeting nearly cost him dearly. Nonetheless, the pair managed to make it to the ground, with Brian nearly getting blasted by another stray bolt. “FUUUUCK!!! Those damn bolts are _relentless!_”

“I’ll say…we’d best get to work.” With a moment’s focus, Max surrounded himself in earthen armor to protect himself. “Set up some lightning rods at the corners of the landing zone; they’ll give the bolts something to aim at other than us.” As he spoke, he slowly turned to the clearing (burdened as he was by his improvised shock guard) and began raising parts of the ground.

“I’ll do one better.” A familiar grin came to Brian’s face. “Those insane volts can _power_ the floodlights!” With his creative spark ignited, he started immediately on the first lightning rod as Max continued raising the ground to a level plane. Working as fast as they could, it wasn’t long before their friends above saw the results; 100 square meters of level land to set their ship down upon, lined with impossibly bright spotlights that pierced the stormy conditions like a hot knife through butter. Brian and Max barely had time to admire their handiwork before the _Ruby Revenant_ flew in low for a landing, passing right between the beacons of piercing light.

“Alright…” Dante was the first Society member to disembark, scrutinizing the landing pad as the storm raged around him. “This looks like some _Frankenstein_ level-shit here, but damn if it doesn’t work… So, we just rippin’ these bad boys out to do this?” Before Brian could warn him against it, he tore out the lightning rod closest to him; an instant later, he was blasted by a huge bolt of purple lightning. Despite his incoherent yelp of pain, he managed to release the rod before the shock could do more than make his fur stand on end.

“**_FOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOUR!!!!!_**” Even Tavo’s characteristically loud bellow was quickly lost in the howl of wind and the crash of thunder. “…I’m torn between slapping myself in the face and wondering exactly _how the fucking hell_ we’re supposed to get _anywhere_ in this kinda weather! …Besides not doing what Dante just did, I mean.”

“Yeah…but that _was_ a step in the right direction.” As Zs dragged her spasming boyfriend back to the group (by the ears, of course), Brian looked at the dragon among his friends. “Scafe, can you call up your Thunder Chains and grab two of those rods? If we keep ‘em a ways behind the group, the bolts should hit them instead of us, right?” As he spoke, he started drawing up a pair of hover platforms to set them on.

“Will do!” As asked, Scafe summoned his electrified chains and whipped them about the two nearest rods; with a mighty tug, he threw them both onto the hovering platforms. They had barely settled into place when another set of lightning bolts struck them, vindicating Brian’s idea even as he added a few clamps to his hover platforms to keep the rods secure.

“If these things ran on electricity, they’d be fried in seconds… Good thing yours work on drawing logic, bro.” Matt nodded sagely before glancing at Gabe. “I mean, I’m sure you can _try_ to explain it, but…”

From the way Gabe’s red gaze was fixed on the city ahead, he hadn’t even heard the mantis’s quip. “Hang on, sis…just a little longer…” His voice and stance emanated almost palpable resolve as he ran into the city, with the rest of the Society close behind.

“Y’ever get the feeling that Amethyst has a hidden side of herself that we never got to see?” Eli asked semi-rhetorically. “I mean, blood relation aside, I can’t remember _anything_ of her that’d make a kid like Gabe _this_ hellbent on rescuing her.”

“It seems that Miss Hart is a particularly cerebral book; much to be gleaned by reading between the lines,” Hanna replied. “At any rate, I find it rather charming to see how much loyalty she’s inspired in young Gabriel.”

“Yeah……” Despite keeping a sharp eye open for any stray bolts not being drawn to the rods trailing behind Scafe, Brian couldn’t help but think back to something they’d discussed back at the HQ. _That’s how _real_ siblings treat each other…take notes, Nesmon and Weiss…_

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The intense storm gripping New Iridu City had driven most of its residents indoors, giving the normally-bustling city an abandoned feel…but someone other than the Society was still braving the weather. A large truck roared through the empty streets, flanked by a few military Humvees; all bore a multitude of spikes and wires along their sides, along with a dreadfully familiar insignia.

“Zhe lightning diffusion tech is working at maximum capacity, mein Fuhrer!” The speaker, occupying the lead jeep, nearly shouted to make himself heard over the electrical interference of another bolt. “If ve had stayed any longer, ve might be observing your brozher from zhe afterlife!”

“Yes…it seems zhat Veiss’s little scheme against zhe Society _schweinhunds_ has reached zhe climax.” N.E.D.’s lower two arms were crossed over his stomach as he spoke with his subordinate from his seat in the back of the truck; meanwhile, his upper arms worked at the controls of what appeared to be a high-tech laptop, showing various images of the storm’s development. “Ahh, mein foolish little brozher…perhaps _now_ you see zhe bitter fruits of reckless impatience?” His voice was a curious mixture of amusement, weariness, and disappointment. 

“Mein Fuhrer, I know he is your kin, but…” One of the Neo Soldiers seated next to N.E.D. hesitated on his next words. “Vhat are zhe chances zhat zhe Society vill…”

“Rest assured, zhey _vill_ kill him,” N.E.D. replied coldly. “I’ve not had any hope for mein brozher ever since he defied me - on his own, he _never_ stood any chance against our common foe. However…his demise vill not be for nozhing.” His mirthless smile was audible. “Vhen zhe Society reaches Veiss…zhey vill get a bit more zhan zhey bargained for.”

The soldiers around N.E.D. exchanged glances before one dared give voice to their collective thoughts. “Sir…are you referring to…_it?_”

“But of course~” The ice-blue lenses in N.E.D.’s mask flashed in the reflection of another absorbed lightning bolt as his lower-left arm pulled a communicator from his pocket. “Zhis is, after all, zhe final battle between Crimson and Azure…and if our _ace in zhe hole_ has done as expected, it should be a bloodbath zhat vill claim zhem _all_…”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Despite Brian’s innovative solution to the lightning problem, the Society wasn’t in the mood to push their luck. They barreled down New Iridu’s main street like a herd of angry bulls, bent on getting out of the storm as fast as humanly possible. Along the way, several more lightning bolts were drawn to the back of their line, where Scafe was towing the lightning rods well behind himself and his friends.

It wasn’t long before the group reached the Iridu Memorial Park, its trees ablaze and its ground cratered from rampant lightning strikes. It only took them a moment more to spot their objective; a concrete bridge near the center of the park itself, the reinforced door beneath its arch leading to what was essentially a makeshift bunker. 

“Sis! _Sis!!!_” Predictably, Gabe was the first to rush forward, so desperately scared for his sister’s well-being that he didn’t even bother donning his Strikers before hammering on the door with both fists. Brian was close behind, already debating the best way to force open a path…only for the point to be rendered moot when the door swung open on its own. Gabe barely jumped back in time to avoid being smacked in the head; while his backside made a less-than-pleasant impact with the ground, the pain was immediately forgotten when a familiar figure all but shot out of the doorway to tackle him.

“Oh shit…Gabe!” Despite still shaking with terror, Amethyst couldn’t stop herself from picking up her brother and hugging him tightly; but she had never been so happy to see anyone in her entire life. “I can’t believe _you_ heard my distress call! I didn’t think you bothered with…radios…and…” She trailed off, her face going even paler behind her white fur as she saw the entire Society behind her brother, gawking in bemusement as they tried to process the flurry of activity that had just transpired.

“Don’t…don’t worry about them, sis…” Gabe finally regained enough of his own composure to explain the situation. “We’re here to rescue you.”

“…_We_…?” Amethyst loosened her death grip on her brother in order to look between him and the Society with slowly-dawning realization. “W…Wait…does that mean that you…?”

“Yes sis,” Gabe answered. “I told you that I was going to do _anything_ to save you. Even joining the team your boyfriend despises.”

“…Yeah…boyfriend…” Amethyst’s face darkened briefly, but the moment passed when she spotted a familiar figure among the Society’s ranks. “Uhh…Gabey…? Is…is that…?”

“Yyyy**yep.**” Irene’s wings flickered black as she met Amethyst’s wide-eyed stare with the most neutral expression she could muster. Sensing imminent trouble, Eli took the opportunity to take a step forward, clearing his throat officiously.

“We’ll talk about you stealing Irene’s bomb plans, blowing up our old pad, and destroying Old Iridu _later;_ right now, we’ve got bigger problems.” Once he was suitably convinced that the cyborg goat-woman wasn’t about to flee back into her hiding place, Eli went on. “We need to kill this storm right at its smug, shit-spewing source…and you’re the only one here who knows where he is. So, here’s the deal: you lead us to Weiss’s pad, and we’ll make sure you don’t get fried…by him _or_ the resident pyromaniac with a grudge.” He jerked an offhand thumb in Irene’s direction, briefly shifting her unamused glare to him as Brian stepped up beside the chinchilla.

“If you work with us here, we’ll make sure that you pay for you crimes in the least painful fashion possible,” the hybrid explained. “Considering our, uh, history, I’m sure the authorities won’t mind us being the ones to decide your fate…who knows, maybe we can get you some community service points by serving with us. The Society could always use another tech head, Gabe would sure love to have his big sis back by his side…and it’s gotta be better than letting Irene take it out on your hide, right?”

“Wow…as soft as ever, aintcha Sarge…” Amethyst shook her head in bewilderment at the remarkably merciful offer, a weak giggle escaping her before she looked Brian in the eyes. “……A-alright…I’ll do it…but don’t expect much more than that until you’ve put Weiss down for good. And if _anything_ happens to Gabey because of this…” Despite her apprehension at the thought of what she was about to do, the steely edge to her voice made the threat perfectly clear…at least until Gabe gave her another tight hug. “E-easy there, bro - I’m trying to be serious here…”

“Sorry,” Gabe apologized as he and his sister got to their feet. “It’s just…well…it’s great to see you’re finally doing the right thing.”

“Speaking of the right thing…” Eli spoke up, “What say you lead us to the shock jock? The contraption Scafe’s towing will keep the bolts from striking ya, so you can focus on leading us to your old pad. After that, you don’t need to take another step inside…we’ll do the rest.”

“I’d recommend sticking around to watch, at least,” Max added. “We’ll leave the lightning rods outside to cover you…and I suspect that you’ll get some catharsis seeing what we do to your…ex?”

“Hehehe…you always did know how to treat a girl right~” For the first time since the Society had seen her, Amethyst gave her signature flirty wink as she joined the larger group (giving Irene as wide a berth as possible). “Just follow me, boys and girls - I’m pretty sure you’ll know it when you see it…”

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Between the violent thunderstorm raging above it and the thick clouds of smoke rising from every opening (including several holes opened in the last few minutes), the Azure Initiative’s headquarters was barely visible. Its interior was little better; by now, Weiss and Quantum’s battle had left every room on the first and second floor scarred at best and obliterated at worst. The latest casualties were the bedrooms that once belonged to Marcell and Saturn, blown to smithereens as Weiss tried to catch his fleeing subordinate in a massive explosion of electricity.

“C’mon Quantum, show some spine!” The Azure leader grinned savagely as he scanned the smoke cloud for his target. “What happened to that whole ‘terminating me for the _good_ of the Nexus’ bullshit, eh~?” Noticing the barest shift in the smoke, he immediately fired a mid-sized lightning bolt, but all he hit was a piece of debris falling from the ceiling.

“With all due respect, _sir,_ I should not be your primary concern.” The words reached Weiss’s ears a moment before an orb of solidified code struck him in the back. He whirled around just in time to see the ball retreating back into the dust, bouncing off the walls and ceiling as it came back for another pass. “Even as we speak, your rivals draw ever closer; you stand no chance against 20 to 1 odds. You have backed yourself into checkmate with your self-serving ego and your carelessness with your allies’ resources.”

“And as I said before, spare parts, you’re making a _great_ mistake underestimating me.” Weiss slammed a fist into the ground, sending a massive wave of electricity through the entire second floor. Quantum was thrown against a wall as both his barrier and the floor gave way from the massive punch, dropping him and Weiss back into the Lounge a floor below.

“Now…did you plan for THIS, Quantum!?” The angry shout was Quantum’s only warning before a torrent of debris began flying at him, propelled by Weiss’s lightning. Although the cyborg dodged the first few, the sheer volume of flying stone and concrete proved impossible to evade entirely. The heavy projectiles battered him against the wall, nearly tearing off his mechanical limbs with the volume of fire.

“Gnnnh… D-damn…” Quantum’s vision swam as Weiss stalked up to him. With a vicious grin, the modified human raised his hands for the fatal blow…only to pause when another crash was heard. It came from the vicinity of the front door; both Weiss and Quantum realized what that meant mere heartbeats before a series of shouts confirmed their suspicions.

“KNOCK KNOCK, MOTHERFUCKER!!!”

“…Way to ruin the element of surprise, Dante!”

“Well, since we’re here, might as well roll with it. Ahem…WEISS! Come out and face us, you lightning-spewing douchenozzle!”

“Yeah! I owe you a _dozen_ dodgeballs to the face for what you did to my sister!”

“What the _fuck?!_” Weiss shouted. “I never had you assholes penciled in for a visit! Also, how the hell did you even find me in the first place?!”

“Therein lies an interesting tale…but one I’m afraid you won’t be able to enjoy.” Hanna phased through the nearest wall as he spoke, heralding the rest of the Society rushing around the corner. “After all, it’s poor taste to start a new story before the current one ends.”

“So _this_ is the legendary Weiss Locke, huh?” JoJo put his hands on his hips as he sized up the man before him. “Gotta say…he’s pretty ripped. I was kinda expecting him to be a bit scrawnier; more gremlin-like, y’know?”

“Hey, uh…guys? Can I quickly address the elephant in the room?” Eli pointed to the badly-beaten Quantum, prompting several of his friends to double-take.

“The fuck…?” Brian responded. “Alright, Weiss, the hell’s going on here?!”

“Aah, well…to be honest, you guys caught us at a _really_ bad time.” Although Weiss rubbed the back of his head almost sheepishly, the flash in his eyes told a different story. “Ol’ Quantum’s still a bit woozy from that last beating you gave him; seemed to think that he could _backstab me_ and get away with it.”

“Well, well, well…” Juliet grinned knowingly. “It seems our bald-headed douchebag is short on allies. Guess this really does mark the epic conclusion to our struggle with the Azures.”

“P…Precisely.” Having regained most of his senses with the Society’s interruption, Quantum surveyed the scene before him with his less-bruised eye before looking back at Weiss. “Goodbye, Weiss. I doubt that we will meet again, so know this: I will remember you as you _were_.” Before his ex-master could even turn around, he raised his organic arm and vanished in a flash of code.

“…Feh. Logical to the end.” A slight twitch of Weiss’s eye was the only sign of the fury boiling behind his nonchalant disgust as he returned his full attention to the Society. “You go on and run, robo-fuck; you’ll _need_ the head start. I’ll hunt you down and _rip_ the cybernetics off of you after I’ve finished with _these_ cunts.”

“You know, it just dawned on me…” Brian said. “All of this…the Crimson/Azure beef that’s raged all this time…it all started with _you,_ Weiss. You played the role of a rebellious child, thinking he had what it took to run a group…and your incompetence drove your allies to abandon you. What happened next? You start your own group with your new allies…and they all abandoned you _again_, by choice or by death. Ironic, don’t you think?” 

“_And it was all due to your incompetence once more,_” Zeus chimed in. “_Hell of a thing, ain’t it? But hey, you got what you wanted, Weiss: a team of your own to run into the ground. Was it everything you wanted it to be?_”

Weiss was silent for a moment before he took a slow, deliberate breath through his gritted teeth. “Grrr…..look at you…_Sergeant_ Spider. You think you’re some top fucking dog, huh? You really think that fucking name _means_ something, huh? You and the rest of the Council are pathetic…_none_ of you have the power you claim to have. Now, the NeverDead? Hahahaha…_there’s_ a guy that runs the show!”

“The hell are you talking about, you smarmy punk?” Max demanded.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Weiss sneered. “It’s _always_ that undead fuck that gets the last laugh. He _always_ seems to be the one leading you band of misfits. When he barks, you lot listen…and yet he always finds a way to supersede you. I was getting sick and tired of you all for a _lot_ of reasons…but _especially_ because of that undead shitheel! He was running the show like he _owned_ the damn place, and you basically _let_ him walk all over you!” He gave a wicked laugh as he looked at Scafe. “Hahaha…and you, dragon boy, saw that better than anyone~”

“Newsflash, chromedome; we’ve _buried_ that hatchet.” Scafe responded with both words and a glare. “Yeah, he was the man of action alongside the dreamer we have as an acting leader… He wasn’t scared of making the hard choices, but he never acted without _all_ of us in agreement… Fact is, we all saw the problem, but he was the only one vocal enough to say it straight. Every leading council needs someone ready to act, just like it needs someone with the good nature of the whole at heart. Of course we butted heads over it, but he still gave a damn about us at the end of the day…it just took most of us _way_ too damn long to see that.”

“Ooooh, just suck him off in public, why don’t you!” Weiss shouted. “_Making the hard choices_? It was him alone that suggested I get kicked from the group! ‘Hard choices’ my ass; he knew _exactly_ what he wanted from the very beginning and didn’t even show a lick of regret! I knew from the start that asshole had a deep-seated hatred for me! I mean, I didn’t even _do_ anything to hi-”

“And _that_ is where I have to yell out…OBJECTION!” Eli interrupted. “Your logic doesn’t check out, capeless baldy. First of all, he wasn’t even _there_ when we decided you needed to go; you were voted out well after his exit. Second, you may have lacked a personal beef with him like Purgatory or Sylvie did, but what you did to the rest of us was plenty enough to earn not just his ire, but all of ours.”

“He’s right,” Max added. “Your crimes didn’t just affect the NeverDead; you’ve targeted the other Councilmen, as well as the other members of the Society both current and previous. If I listed all of said crimes, we’d be here all day…but you were _never_ the little darling you make yourself out to be…especially since you purposely instigated everything from the very start.”

“_I’m not one to preach sins here, but for my host, allow me to list the abridged version,_” Zeus noted. “_Between the constant Greed of your endless self-entitlement, your Wrath whenever something didn’t go your way, the Lust you showed to our girlfriends, the Sloth you demonstrated anytime we as a Society did good, hard tasks for the Nexus, your Gluttony for the ‘finer’ things in life, the Envy on full display right this very second, and the all-consuming Pride you’ve had since the day we met, you were _everything_ wrong with the Society from the word go._”

“Normally, I’m not one to compliment other soulless assholes,” Brian concluded. “But let me put it to you like this, Weiss: **your older brother is _leagues_ better than anything you can ever hope to achieve.**”

That sentence alone was enough to break Weiss’s calm facade. “Ha…haha…you know……hahaha…I’ve heard that one…_too many fucking times_…and to those who say that…I just have one thing to say…DO _NOT!_ COMPARE ME!! **TO MY! WORTHLESS!! _BROTHER!!!_**” That last rage fit resulted in an eruption of electricity that covered his whole body with lightning.

“Phew…” Matt glanced up as a particularly violent thunderclap sounded overhead. “Think you might have touched a nerve there, bro.” 

“Good! More anger means more room for error, yeah?” Tavo’s expression wasn’t quite as confident as his words, but he held his gun steady as the Hellgate appeared at his side.

“Indeed, my friends.” Tim ignited his beam saber as he eyed Weiss cautiously. “I’d say it’s about _time_ we put an end to his suffering, don’t you?”

“Took the words outta my mouth.” Brian pulled his pencil from his ear as the rest of the Society readied themselves for battle. “Today, Weiss, you pay for all your crimes…for all the lives your cronies took under your command. Their blood is on your hands, you arrogant fuck, and we are going to _avenge_ every last one of them!”

“As much as I’d like to see that…you’re getting ahead of yourself.” The familiar voice drew everyone’s attention to the basement-level entrance, relatively unmarred save for a few scorch marks. As they looked on, the door slid open to reveal Cipher, arms crossed and smirking smugly. “Sorry kids, but this little ‘Final Boss Battle’ is about to become a _double feature._”

“What?! Cipher?!” Juliet shouted. “The hell do you think you’re doing here?!”

“I was about to ask the same thing,” Weiss added, equal parts flummoxed and irritated. “Wait, don’t tell me; my brother sent his hired gun to say ‘I told you so’ about my apparent fuckup?”

The Society did an impressive synchronized double-take. “Whoa! Cipher’s been working for **N.E.D.** this whole time!?” Emily yelped.

“But…then why’d he help us find Purgatory??” Tavo asked.

“Hold the fuck up…that was YOU, you scarlet furball!?” Weiss snapped, rage returning in full. “_You’re_ the rat bastard that sold me out to these Society fucks!?”

“I _do_ hate to say it, but it’s your own damn fault. You should _never_ trust a mercenary farther than you can pay him…and Nesmon paid me _damn well_ for your little spat.” Whether he was speaking to Weiss or the Society, Cipher sounded anything but apologetic. “Besides, let’s not pretend that you _all_ didn’t have this coming; Cueball may have been the one to pull the trigger, but if I recall correctly, it was _you_ so-called boy scouts that let him walk free and set up his revenge scheme.” As if a switch was flipped, his content expression morphed into a steely glare aimed directly at the Councilmen. “Far as I’m concerned, _you’re_ just as responsible for Old Iridu, Zangaikotsu Island, Neo-Tokyo, and all the rest of the Initiative’s nonsense. You freaks could’ve ended this _days_ after it began, but instead you decided to play house and let them get as far as they did.”

The Councilmen - especially Brian - flinched at the mercenary’s biting words, but B.Nana looked ready to cry. “I…I can’t believe you’d…do this to us…after all you’ve done for us too…! You…you…! YOU BIG FUCKING **JERK!!!**” Her peel turned green as she suddenly screamed at the cat, who only smirked back with a hint of malicious satisfaction.

“Opportunistic furball!” Zuula’s tentacles lashed the air as she let out a menacing click. “You were just waiting for the chance to double-cross us, weren’t you!?”

“No need for mudslinging, now,” Jack chided. “I can’t double-cross you if I was _never on your side_ to begin with. It’s just business; nothing personal.”

“Oooooh ho ho hooo, now you’ve gone and _fucked up,_” Juliet growled, already debating where to slash Cipher first. “Play that ‘just business’ card all you like; you’re still a traitor in my books. And I do **not** suffer traitors lightly…”

“I second that notion, Juliet.” Although Irene’s voice was bland and her wings translucent, her stare radiated malice as she readied her shotgun. “I hope you’re ready to try and clean nuclear buckshot out of your fur, Cipher.”

The red-furred feline only shrugged as he produced a remote from his pocket. “As much as I’d _love_ to stick around and see what other cliché threats you can spout, you’ve got bigger problems right now. After all, you’ve still got Weiss to worry about…along with _this_.” He pressed a button on the remote; moments later, the air was filled with the sound of deep, rumbling footsteps. “It’s been a real fun shitshow, boys and girls, but it all ends here. Now do us _all_ a favor and kill each other, won’t you?” With another button press, he vanished in a flash of digitized light, leaving a massive new shape to approach the doorway.

Scafe’s eyes widened as he discerned some horribly familiar features on the approaching brute. “Uhh…guys?” he began nervously. “Is anyone else getting a _really_ bad sense of deja vu right now?”

Several of the dragon’s friends could only nod numbly as the newcomer emerged, its menace barely dampened by its brief struggle to squeeze through the opening. It looked much like the Crimson Chimera that had assaulted the Society’s old base, but even bigger and more menacing than before. Much of its body was covered with strange technology, and its chest was branded with two emblems: the Neo-Empire insignia and a “Jolly Roger” formed from a stylized cat skull above two crossed handguns.

“OH, _COME ON!_ **ANOTHER** CLUSTERFUCK?!” Brian bellowed, unable to believe this turn of events as the beast stalked up beside Weiss.

“STOP CALLING IT THAT, DAMMIT!!” Weiss’s indignation faded slightly as he scrutinized the cyborg chimera. “So…Cipher took the liberty of finishing Quantum’s in-progress project, huh? Just like my egomaniac brother to take _pity_ on me……but this could work in my favor. Obviously, Nesmon still thinks that he can finish me off after we destroy you Society fucks; boy, is he in for a- HOLY HELL!!!!” He let out a cry of surprise when the Chimera grabbed him by the jacket and threw him to the opposite wall.

“I…stand corrected…” he groaned. “Nesmon’s an even _bigger_ idiot than I thought…and thinks that this…jury-rigged prototype can put us _all_ down for him…”

“GRRR…! Don’t think for a _second_ this is over, Cipher!” Becky shouted belatedly. “When we’re done here, we’re coming for your ass!! And I’ll make sure to _personally_ give you a _killer_ case of frostbite!!”

The cryomancer’s threats rang through empty air as the Society readied themselves for battle. With a now thoroughly-enraged Weiss digging himself out of the wall and the “Crimson Chimera 2.0” shaking the remnants of the Azure HQ with its roar, what had seemed to be a simple end to their feud was shaping up to be a truly epic ordeal.

In the face of this turn of events, Brian said what everyone was thinking. “Why can’t things _ever_ be simple…?”

**-THE SOCIETY WILL RETURN-**


	3. Lightning in a Bottle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Cipher betrays everyone by unleashing Clusterfuck 2.0 on Weiss and the Society.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoo boy, can't wait for the Cipher Era to start! Because explaining how he's part of the Society now without it is a headache in and of itself.

## Tales of the Society - The Azure Age

### Chapter 10.3: Lightning In a Bottle

**_Last time on _Tales of the Society…**

_The unnatural thunderstorm brewing over New Iridu City was a double-edged sword for the Crimson Society’s plans. On one hand, it was a dead giveaway to the location of Weiss; on the other, it made _reaching_ him a daunting task. With some ingenuity and clever use of their powers, Brian and Max were able to ensure a safe landing for their friends, as well as a means to protect themselves as they set out to begin the end for the Azure Initiative._

_The first order of business was finding Amethyst, who had defected from the cause in the face of Weiss’s growing rage and madness. Upon finding her in the Iridu Memorial Park (much to Gabe’s delight), the Council struck a bargain with the terrified goat-girl: leniency for her past crimes in exchange for leading the Society to the Azure HQ. Although clearly wary of heading towards Weiss (and working with Irene, who’s clearly sore about the Cobalt Bomb incident), Amethyst took the offer with two conditions: she wouldn’t need to participate in the coming battle, and her brother would be protected from harm._

_When the Society finally found Azure HQ, the place was a burning ruin, thanks to Weiss’s continued battle with Quantum. The villain had his ex-minion dead to rights when his enemies burst in, giving Quantum the chance to flee in turn. Before the Society could strike, however, Cipher appeared and revealed his real stake in the feud: the Neo Empire had hired him to ensure that **none** of them survived the final battle! To do so, the feline mercenary has “finished” Quantum’s final project: a new and improved **Crimson Chimera**, its incomplete form augmented with technology._

_Now, what should have been a Curb-Stomp Battle in our heroes’ favor has become a tense three-way standoff. Everyone is in place: Weiss Locke, the Azure Initiative’s last man standing; the upgraded Crimson Chimera, intent on destroying everyone before it; the Crimson Society, hellbent on finally putting an end to this conflict. All are ready for the worst that their foes can bring, but in the end, only one side will emerge victorious._

_The only question is…**who?**_

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

“So, uh……anyone got a plan here?” For once, Emily was remarkably quiet as she eyed the Society’s opposition. “I mean, who do we go for first: Weiss, or the mega-monster Cipher sicced on us?”

“I don’t think we’ll have a choice but to take ‘em both at once,” JoJo whispered back. “I’d definitely lean towards the ‘Clusterfuck’ being the bigger threat, though - Scafe told me that the last one nearly wiped half of the Society!”

“Yeah, that’s only ‘cause the _other_ half wasn’t there to kick its ass!” Dante’s boast was at odds with his serious expression. “Honestly, though, we better tread lightly around that fucker - if this really is Quantum’s second go at it, I’ll bet he’s prepared it for _all_ of us and more.”

“So in other words, this is **Clusterfuck 2.0**...greeeaatttt….” Brian’s sigh prompted a menacing growl from the beastly amalgamation before him, causing the jumpier Society members to step back.

“Of all the times for Tsuneo to hang back, why _now?_” Irene muttered, her wings turning a shade or two paler with her apprehension.

“Hah…just as I thought~ You guys talk big, but you’re _lost_ without the Neverdead pulling your collective strings~!” It was unclear if Weiss had overheard Irene’s lament, or if his mirthless taunt was merely serendipitously apt. “Well, guess I’ll be drawing first blood then - sit back and watch how a _real_ man breaks the ice!”

Several Society members snorted derisively as Weiss charged at the Chimera, his body surging with lightning. Their scorn was short-lived, however; mere inches from contact, the Azure leader stopped on a dime, turned a full 180 degrees, and dashed towards the Society instead. From the way he almost seemed to phase through the group, he could’ve been mistaken for an electrified ghost.

“What the-” JoJo’s bewildered yelp was drowned out by Tavo’s scream of terror.

“FUUUCK!!! INCOMING!!!!” The Society shook off their surprise and indignation at Weiss’s tricky strike just in time to realize its true intent; thanks to that “opening blow”, the Chimera was now barreling down on them, clearly intent on tearing them apart on its way to maul Weiss. It swung its right claw - even bigger than before, thanks to the bulky metal armor attached to its bones - through the air, releasing three large attack waves that spread in front of it. Everyone barely managed to avoid the attack, with a few of them losing the edges of their clothes. 

“Argh!! My vest!!” Brian cried out. “I just had this thing cleaned!!!”

“Why do they _always_ fuck with the threads?” Eli moaned rhetorically, eyeing a nasty new slash mark on his jacket before returning his attention to the bigger threat. “Watch your six, everyone - this bastard’s got speed to spare!”

“Nothing a little time manipulation can’t solve,” Tim responded, readying his stopwatch. “Mr. Hanna. Mind buying me some _time_?”

“I will do more than that, my friend.” Hanna raised his arms and fired blasts of soul energy from the mouths on his palms. He got a few more shots off before a small electric orb nailed him in the back; moments later, another shot hit Tim. “Gah! Quite the stinger, that one...”

“Hey hey, Society boys and girls, don’t forget about _me_ now!” With a malicious laugh, Weiss began darting back and forth amid the Society’s backline, throwing punches and energy balls at literal lightning speed while the Chimera took another large swing for the front. Scafe intercepted the claws coming down on his friends, but the ones at the back were getting battered pretty badly from the rapid blows.

“Rrrrrgh…shit, someone get him off us before he causes real damage!” As he spoke, Scafe lashed a low-snaked Explosive Chain towards the Chimera’s leg; though it did no visible damage, the blast caused the monster’s stance to buckle enough for Scafe to throw its claw aside. As Brian capitalized on that opening with a heavy-handed slam from a drawn hammer, Irene turned towards the crackling blur harassing the back line.

“Time you went on a ride, Maple-face!” Squinting to get a bead on her target, Irene opened a portal directly in Weiss’s path. The electrokinetic villain managed to stop himself before he fell into the portal…and was promptly left unprepared for the ones Irene opened right above and below him. Despite the situation, the pyromancer couldn’t help but smirk at the sight of Weiss falling in an infinite loop, screaming in a rather undignified manner.

“Whoa - aaa - aaa - shit!! This - is like - skydiving - indoors!!!” Weiss attempted to right himself and escape the freefall, but Irene promptly shifted the upper portal to send him cannonballing into a wall at the far end of the room.

“There’s the difference between us, Weiss,” she quipped. “I think with portals; you don’t think _at all._”

“Hah…nice one! That’ll make things easier!” Dante chuckled, jumping over Brian’s back to stab at the reeling Chimera with his own blade. However, it rolled aside and released a large blade from its other arm, stabbing clean through its would-be assailant.

“Ooooh… Didn’t expect that…” Dante barely had time for that wry comment before the Chimera seized the handle of its sword and threw him off the blade, leaving him to crash into Weiss. With the unnecessary weight off its new weapon, the cyborg monster launched into a flurry of wide swings, forcing the rest of the group to back off.

“Nice knife, dude - but you’re not the only one who brought his own blades!” Matt brandished his scythes before flinging both arms at the Chimera; Juliet and Gabe added a spread of knives and a metallic dodgeball, respectively. The monster’s massive blade broke the scythes right off of Matt’s arms, sending them spiraling away; however, the other projectiles slipped past its guard and found purchase on its torso. Despite making solid impacts, the Chimera didn’t even flinch as it adjusted its grip and lurched towards the Society for a brutal overhead swing.

“Uh oh…” Shaking off his shock at seeing Matt’s arms so easily broken against the behemoth’s blade, Tavo called Emperor forth to intercept the sword. Although the blow visibly shook the beast’s stance, its bone-studded forearms withstood the cutting edge, giving the Society another precious opening.

“C’mon guys - don’t just stand there!” the unicorn shouted, firing his magnum at the pinprick wounds left by Juliet’s knives. “**WRECK** THIS MOTHERFUCKER’S SHIT LIKE RELIEVER AT A HIGH-SCHOOL GRAD CEREMONY!!!”

“B-Brian!” B.Nana shouted, scared for her life. “Nothing seems to be hurting this guy! C-Can’t we do that thing we did last time? Y’know, the whole ‘use its parts against it’ thing?”

“That’s just it, Nana!” Brian responded. “This is a completely different version of that Chimera, built by Quantum specifically to defeat _all_ of us! It’s probably way stronger _and_ smarter than its predecessor - and that’s before you consider whatever else Cipher gave it!”

“W-well, we gotta think of something!” B.Nana cried back. “Even my Juggernanas won’t phase this guy, and those are my strongest bombs!!”

“_I don’t know what Quantum made this Chimera out of, but _nothing_ is invincible,_” Zeus growled. “_It _has_ to have a weakness - we just need to find it, and fast!_”

“Actually, I’ve got bigger plans for you, spider~” Weiss’s hatefully familiar voice was Brian’s only warning before a paralyzed Dante was sent flying into him like a ragdoll attached to a freight truck. The impact sent both Society members crashing through the wall into the next room, with the blow knocking Dante out cold; luckily, Brian was able to control and soften his landing with judicious use of his eight limbs. He quickly stood up and grabbed his pencil, staring down Weiss as he ran into the room; moments later, Scafe, Eli, and Max rushed in as well.

“Well well well…this is more like it, wouldn’t you say?” Weiss chuckled as the Councilmen moved to surround him. “A battle with the Crimson Council Cunts who threw me out on my ass…I couldn’t think of a better opportunity~”

“Tch… It’d be even better if Tsuneo were here; he’d _love_ to blow up your blood from the inside out.” Scafe snorted as he held his chains at the ready. “Ah well…it _is_ more fitting this way, he never saw you leave himself.”

“Regardless, we’ve been waiting a _long_ time to personally put you in your place, Weiss.” Max’s stoic tone did little to hide his own vindictive pleasure at this confrontation. “I still need to pay you back for what your diminutive minion did to me.”

“Hey! Don’t lump me in with Sylvie’s bullshit!” Weiss snapped. “Whatever she did to you was _all_ her - just _being_ around that pint-sized ponyfucker made me want a shower…”

“You and the rest of us…” Eli allowed himself a shudder before regarding Weiss again. “But whether or not you agreed with her, _you’re_ the one who gave her plan the greenlight.”

“Fair enough, Eels - either way, the only one getting payback here is _me._” Weiss chuckled darkly, his eyes darting around to keep each Councilman in view. “You four are gonna learn the hard way…just what you fucking _lost_ when you gave me the boot. _I_ was the man for your pompous Society. **I** was the one who carried it all. _**I**_ gave more of a shit than any of you…no, more than _all_ of you!!!”

Were he not well aware of Weiss’s proclivity for sucker-punches, Brian would’ve thrown up his arms in exasperation. “Weiss…you just don’t _get it_, do you?” he sighed. “You were a massive detriment to the Society! Your personality, your ego, your attitude…there wasn’t a _single_ quality about you that benefited us! We’ve seen the _real_ you, Locke…and you are _not_ worth the salt you spew.”

“I’ll admit, there were days I wanted to quit the Society because of people like you,” Eli added, his staff held in a defensive stance. “A day with you was like a _week_ in hell! You were unbearable at best and insufferable at worst!”

“But we _can_ agree with you on one thing,” Scafe smiled. “This _is_ the part where you finally get everything you deserve. Because after we’re done, you _are_ going to be right where you belong: _buried six feet under!!_” His smile turned vicious as he cracked his chains like whips, thin trails of smoke escaping the gaps between his bared fangs.

“Talk is cheap, Scafe…let’s settle this the way I should have done from the start.” The lightning in Weiss’s eyes would’ve melted his shades if they were still on his face. “Come get the first real fight you’ve had since you founded this farce of a Society, **you dickless cowards!!!**”

Falling for the taunt, Eli went for the quick blow from his staff, a reversed strike to try and catch Weiss off guard. Alas, Weiss remembered this attack from the spars he had with Eli in the old days; he caught the reversed swing and sent a powerful shock through it.

“Aaaagh!!!” Eli fell off of his weapon, his fur standing on end from the electrical blast. “Son of a…I _really_ need to look into non-conductive metals for that thing…”

“I gotcha!” Scafe lashed out a Thunder Chain to grab Eli’s staff from Weiss’s hand, the electricity harmlessly absorbed into the chain as he tossed it back to Eli. He quickly summoned a Flame Chain to his free hand and lashed it at Weiss, forcing the villain to leap back; unfortunately, Weiss used the landing to start off another electricity-fuelled rush, slamming into Scafe with a full-bore haymaker to send the dragon-man rocketing into the other wall.

“Try harder, ya crimson pit stains!” Weiss cackled as he used the leftover momentum from the haymaker to fall flat, ducking under Max’s strike from behind. From here, the scarred Neo-Human kicked out the assassin’s leg, forcing him to kneel as Weiss turned around, seized Max’s masked face, and blasted him away with a point-blank burst of lightning. He finished the maneuver by rolling aside from Brian’s attempt to smash him flat with the hammer he still held. 

“Grrr…” The spider-bunny grit his teeth as he assessed the situation; Max and Scafe were out of the fight for the moment, but Eli was shaking off the previous shock, looking quite irate. “Alright, Weiss…you’ve grown some balls since we last met, but-”

“For the love of fuck, ‘Sarge’…NO MORE BANTER!!!” Weiss roared, closing in on Brian with another electrical dash before grabbing him by the jacket and headbutting him square in the face. “_That_ was for scarring my magnificent mug, you hybrid jackass!!” Even amid the brief satisfaction of revenge, he grimaced as he felt a tiny trickle of warmth on his forehead; the sheer force of his headbutt had reopened the old wound.

“GAAAH! YOU SUCK!!!” As Brian staggered back from the stunning impact (very glad that he didn’t have a nose to break), Eli delivered a hyper-speed kick to the back of Weiss’s ribs while the latter was distracted. He had barely completed the blow before launching off a second strike, sending Weiss stumbling forward to the reeling hybrid as he suddenly jerked upright with a cry of “Get ‘im, Zeus!”

“_With _extreme_ pleasure, Brian~_” The hybrid’s eyes flashed purple as his spider limbs rapidly jabbed at Weiss. Brian’s eyes returned to normal as he capped off the combination with a knee to the jaw, causing the Neo-Human to recoil in intense pain.

“Rrgh…alright then. This could be interesting after all.” Weiss rubbed his jaw, gritting his teeth as the other two Councilmen regrouped, but a not-so-distant tremor made him briefly glance behind him. “Whoa…sounds like the big guy’s wreckin’ some _major_ shit out there…”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Back in the main room, the rest of the Society was still fighting for their lives against the Chimera. Realizing that they stood no chance fighting it fragmented, they had resorted to throwing everything all at once, a hit-and-run swarming approach facilitated by Irene’s portals, Hanna’s soul magic, Tim’s time-accelerating fields, and sheer numbers. The assault was dealing significant damage to the Chimera, but it just seemed to be getting angrier and more relentless by the second.

“Is it just me, or is this thing _not fucking dying!?_” Becky screamed in frustration even as she launched a wave of ice spikes to force the monster back.

“It’s not just you,” Tim answered, scrutinizing the Chimera from his vantage point in the air. “This beast’s durability is immense…but moreover, it seems to be _regenerating_ its wounds, no matter how grievous.”

“And it sure isn’t letting those wounds slow it down while they heal, either!” Gabe punctuated his point with a high-speed explosive dodgeball to the Chimera’s face, barely slowing its next blast of fire breath despite visibly flaying part of its skull. “It’s like a zombie on bath salts!”

“Oh for fu- This thing has Tsuneo’s undead immortality _and_ Dante’s healing factor!?” Irene cried out in disbelief as the pieces finally clicked.

“Nah, more like his pain tolerance…and a healing factor that makes mine look like crap.” The answer came from Dante as he came back to the group. After slipping out of the next room while Weiss battled the Councilmen, he had opted to hang back and observe the fight until he could recover from his concussion and blade wounds; now he was fully healed and sporting a dangerous look in his eye. “You just can’t give him enough to regenerate, and don’t bother with debilitation - just destroy as much as you can!”

“Spoken like a true hunter~” Zuula’s eye flashed pink as she ran in first, unleashing a barrage of attacks to keep the beast at bay while her allies prepared themselves. Gabe made two blastballs, B.Nana pulled out the Juggernana, Juliet flourished two sets of explosive knives, Dante started overcharging his katana as Zs focused beside him, waiting for her moment, Tavo summoned Alcest to start charging his magic to its limits, Becky formed one hell of an Ice Bomb, and Irene held a large portal at the ready as she prepared something special.

“1, 2, 3…LET ‘EM HAVE IT!!!” Matt punctuated his battle cry by jumping over Zuula and spitting acid in a wide arc. The Chimera reeled as the burning liquid splashed over it, softening the regenerative flesh and giving Zuula and Matt just enough time to get clear before the others threw all of their explosives at once. Becky’s Ice Bomb was the last to detonate, flash-freezing the Chimera’s torso on impact. Dante, Zs and Tim all charged with hyper-accelerated speed in a tri-slash through the weak point Becky created, eliciting a roar of pain as their blades tore through its brittle chest.

“**MEGADEEEETTTHHH!!!**” The unicorn’s shout was swallowed up by the roar of the massive beam of blood-red magic fired from his horn. It hit the sectioned chimera dead on, blowing it back with extreme force against the far wall as Irene adjusted her portal to face it.

“And _checkmate!!!_” The portal disgorged a Tomahawk missile from the other side, blasting the wall with incredible explosive force. The Society yelped as the blast sent them skidding toward the opposite wall, but they managed to (mostly) avoid any undignified falls as Hanna put up a wall of spirits to block the lingering dust and debris.

“Hah…hah…d-did we do it?” Emily asked from the back of the group, peering across the ruined room with utmost wariness. The dust was slow to settle, owing to the concrete structure and relative lack of air circulation, but there was no sign of movement or life.

“I…sure hope so…” panted Becky. “I don’t think…we’re gonna…get another…shot…like that…again…”

“That combo nearly demolished the building - it _better_ have done in that monster!” Gabe insisted, seemingly trying to reassure himself just as much as his friends. “C’mon…we’ve still gotta help the Council beat Weiss.” He turned towards the hole Weiss had knocked Brian through…

…and promptly missed the disembodied claw flying out of the dust until it grabbed him from behind, forcefully enough to pull him out of his own gauntlets. The Society started as Gabe was dragged him into the heart of the cloud, where several blinking red lights could be seen. 

“Guys-” Irene was about to call out the lights, but the Chimera beat her to it as it finally spoke. 

“KAMIKAZE PROTOCOL ACTIVATED.” A faint beeping could be heard amid the monster’s resonant monotone. “EXECUTING WEISS DIRECTIVE 04: **DESTROY THE GOAT-BRAT.**”

“WHAT!?” The Society turned to the front doorway as a white blur shot past them, all prior hesitation forgotten. As Amethyst ran into the dust with all the speed her legs could muster, she thrust one mechanical arm forward, launching the mounted blade toward the red lights at the center of the carnage. When the blade found its mark, a cable snapped taut between its base and Amethyst’s forearm, quickly reeling her towards her target as she drew back her free fist.

“NOT MY BROTHER, **ASSHOLE!!!**” Amethyst’s wrathful cry would’ve made 1:30 jealous as she punched with all her strength, her metal fist striking the Chimera’s boney hand with enough force to shatter both limbs. In one swift movement, Amethyst released her grappling cable, planted her feet on what remained of the monster’s head, caught a stunned Gabe with her undamaged arm, and used the momentum of her charge to leap away from the imminent explosion. The Society scrambled for cover as the second model of the Crimson Chimera finally blew itself up, sending the goat siblings flying into the room where Weiss was still battling the Councilmen.

“WHOA!” All five men yelped in surprise as Amethyst crashed on the floor, clutching Gabe like a vise with her remaining limbs. Her back (mainly her cybernetic harness) took the full brunt of the fall and subsequent skid, leaving a trail of blood and metal shards in her wake, but her iron grip on Gabe never loosened a millimeter. Only when she finally came to a stop did she release her little brother - dusty and breathless, but otherwise unharmed. 

“SIS!!!” Once Gabe’s thoughts had caught up to the rest of him, he leapt to his feet and helped her sister to her feet. “Oh my god…Amy! Are you alright?!”

“Nngh…G-Gabe…” Amethyst winced as her adrenaline rush receded, allowing her to take stock of herself. Her normally immaculate fur was stained various shades of brown and red, her left arm (used to punch the Chimera) was a mangled mess, her right arm was barely functional, her backpack was a mess of wires, pistons, and shattered plating, and the rest of her back looked like she had taken a power nap on a belt sander, but she felt better than she had in almost a year. “You silly billy……you know…I like it…rough~”

“D-dammit, Amy…y-you’re so reckle-e-ess…” Gabe’s attempted admonishment was neutered by his sobs - despite the tears, he radiated relieved joy as he hugged his battered sister. “Oh god…Sis, you just…y-you just saved my bacon there…! I _knew_ you had it in you, sis…I _knew_ it…”

“Y-yeah… Crazy what love can do…eh…Gabe…?” Amethyst fidgeted sheepishly at her brother’s blubbering even as she faced Weiss with utter hate in her eyes. Conversely, Weiss was grinning, _laughing_ even, as he shook off his amazement and took in the sight before him.

“For once…the brat and I are in _complete_ agreement. I _knew_ you would do the right thing - you just needed a stick applied to the right spot.” His wicked smirk widened, apparently ignorant to his “girlfriend’s” barely-restrained anger. “It’s a shame you couldn’t pull shit like that when I _needed_ you; it would’ve made everything a whole lot easier if you could do something like _that_ for me all the time. Why’d you make me have to go and do all this by my lonesome if you were gonna just crawl back to me after the fireworks~?”

“Back off, asshole!” Gabe rounded on the smirking Weiss, looking ready to strangle him even without his Strikers. “Amethyst is not yours to-” He was cut off when Amethyst gently laid the fingers of her less-damaged hand over his mouth, her expression going from irate to calming in an instant as she looked down at him.

“…It’s okay, Gabey…I got this…” Amethyst nodded firmly before slowly limping past her brother to glower at Weiss. “He’s right…I’m not yours to abuse anymore. All this time, I’ve let you push me around and tell me what I can and can’t do. I thought joining up with you would be a nice little escape from all the shit tying me down…and it _was_ fun at first. But y’know something, _lover?_” She paused just long enough to let the venom in the last word sink in. “Now I see…all you’ve done is drag me down.” 

“The _fuck_ you sayin’, Amy?” Weiss’s casual indignation was a pale reflection of the utterly apocalyptic explosion of fury building in his eyes. “I didn’t hear you complaining when we were-”

“Save it,” Amethyst snapped. “Like I said, it was a nice little game for a while; I’ve always been a sucker for some cheap thrills. But then you brought in the _rules_. No partying ‘til Tsuneo’s gets what’s coming to him. No sex until the Society’s stamped out. No relaxation before your insane “Hardcore Training” sessions! No talking to my brother if I want him to live! No _having a fucking say in anything_ unless it benefits _you!_ No, no, _no, NO, **NO!!!**_ That’s _not_ my kind of fun, _Weissy_……but it was never really _about_ fun for you, was it?” Her wrath suddenly evaporated into weary resignation as she gestured to herself.

“Look at me, Weiss…I’m a broken girl. I threw away everything I ever cared about for you…and now I’m _tired_. I’m tired of gracing the cover of _Nexus’s Most Wanted_. I’m tired of trampling over everyone for the sake of planetary domination. I’m tired of pouring my blood, sweat, and tears into the bottomless pit of your ambition…actually, let’s not beat around the bush here~” She gave Weiss a small smile, but the revulsion in her eyes made it appear horribly forced. “I’m sick and tired of _you_, Weiss; your worthless anger, endless abuse, and constant attempts to be someone that matters. I’m sick of it all…and I’m _done._”

“…‘Done?’ The fuck do you mean ‘done,’ bitch?!” Weiss’s jaw dropped. “You _can’t_ be done! I _own_ you, Amy - if I had to, I’d _brand_ it on your ass for all to see! You can’t just…_quit_ me like this!!!” From the way his fists clenched and unclenched, he wanted nothing more than to vaporize her then and there…but something held him back. It wasn’t Amethyst’s words, nor the Councilmen standing in his way (although they cut an imposing picture as they moved to shield the goat siblings); rather, it was the _look_ in his now-ex-girlfriend’s eyes.

It was the look of a woman who had overcome her deepest fear…and who now viewed the source of it with weariness, disgust…and _pity_.

“Just watch me, Weiss…and when the Society punches your ticket to hell, know that we’ll _all_ be celebrating.” With a final haughty sniff that sharply contrasted her current appearance, Amethyst walked away. Her only regret was that she hadn’t gotten in a physical jab on Weiss, but she knew that was exactly what he wanted; she didn’t stand a ghost of a chance against her ex in a fight, especially now.

“Oooh…Irene’s gonna be jealous, ‘cause Amy just dished you a _fifth-degree burn_, Weiss~” Eli’s mocking words fell on deaf ears; the entirety of Weiss’s brainpower was currently fixated on his former girlfriend/punching bag’s exit. Yet again, she had left him at a loss for words; he had certainly known that Amethyst had a steely streak under her flighty appearance, but this was nothing like the Amethyst he was used to pushing around.

_She thinks…she’s stronger…than me…? She thinks…she’s…**better**...than me…?!_ Slowly, the haze of confusion lifted, allowing Weiss’s anger to return tenfold. _Even…even Amethyst…thinks I’m a nobody?! She’s just like the others…like everyone…**everyone** I’ve ever met! They all think they’re hot shit and that they can lord it over my head…just like…**just like my fucking brother!!!!**_

That did it.

“You think…you’re _above_ me, you exhibitionist, robo-armed _WHORE!?_” Weiss howled his rhetorical question to the stormy skies above as something snapped in his mind. The Councilmen tensed, expecting an attack of epic proportions as Weiss directed the full force of his rage towards them…but instead, the apoplectic Neo-Human only continued screaming curses at the storm. They would have thought it a moment of weakness if not for the intense electricity surging through Weiss’s body, fierce enough to exert tangible pressure as the final Azure Initiative member continued to rant.

“Whoa-ho-ho, what have we here?” Dante’s snark heralded the rest of the Society’s arrival in the room. “Do mine eyes deceive me, or did ol’ Scarface the Shock Jock just get dumped~?”

“Sure looks like it…” Matt replied, “and if _my_ eyes aren’t fucking with me, I think it’s making Weiss even _more_ butthurt than before.” His snarky words were at odds with the apprehensive look he exchanged with his brother. “Bro…is it just me…or is the walking bug-zapper going into full overload now?”

The spider-bunny nodded mutely, his eyes fixed upon the sight before him. Weiss’s rant had devolved into incoherent screams of rage and madness, almost indistinguishable from the ever-growing crashes of thunder overhead. Suddenly, a massive bolt of lightning tore through what little remained of the roof overhead; the Society recoiled, but Weiss didn’t so much as flinch, even as the bolt struck him dead-on.

“Whoa! Did you _see_ that?” JoJo gasped. “I mean, I figured Weiss was pretty much shockproof, but that’s a whole new level!”

“I suspect that our story is about to take a turn for the unpleasantly dramatic,” Hanna commented warily. His fears were confirmed when the bolt was finally spent, allowing Weiss to return his attention to the Society. Eerie blue veins were visible on his exposed skin as he took a deep breath; despite his rant and the powerful shock he’d taken, he seemed more invigorated than exhausted as he addressed his enemies.

“Alright…that fuckin’ _tears_ it. Bad enough when Nesmon did it…even worse when it came from _you_ chucklenuts…but Amy…? That is where I draw the fucking _line_.” Weiss spoke with a calm, almost _relieved_ air, but it only made his words all the more unsettling. “You all want to compare me to my brother…well then, I’ll fucking humor you. Maybe we _are_ alike in some ways…so why don’t I show you just how _alike_ we **are?!**” His grin was utterly demented as another intense lightning bolt engulfed him, shaking the ruins of the Azure HQ.

“Sirs?” Tim began. “I’m no expert on Neo-Humans; do any of you have the _time_ to hazard a guess on what our pompous foe is doing?”

“Heugh… Not a clue,” Scafe replied. “Whatever the sparkplug’s up to, it’s nothing we’ve even suspected he could do…but I’d say that it’s about to make our lives a whole lot harder, so we’d better-”

“HIT THE DECK!!!” Eli’s shout prompted the Councilmen to drop to the floor, mere heartbeats before the pillar of electricity before them released a massive surge of energy. Taken by surprise, the rest of the Society was scattered like a rack of bowling pins, all incapacitated by electrocution-induced pain, paralysis and unconsciousness.

“_Shit!_” The chinchilla cursed as he watched his allies fall from his position on the floor. “That fucker just knocked out most of the gang!”

“Well, that just means we’ll have to hit him five times harder! When this crazy light show dies down, we can-” Brian’s boast was interrupted by his Parasite, who had kept an “eye” on the chaos before them.

“_Uhh…Brian…? I think we might have more trouble than you think…_” Zeus made a noise somewhere between a growl and a whine as the lightning finally dissipated.

When the Councilmen looked back, they almost wished they hadn’t - Weiss had undergone a truly horrific transformation. He had grown over three feet taller and gained a few dozen pounds of muscle; coupled with his grey skin, he bore a strong resemblance to a Carcanod. His feet were seemingly stained blue up to the ankles, with bony claws erupting from the heel and what used to be the toes. He now had two pairs of arms, each one covered in pulsing blue veins and bearing a large hole in the palm of its hand. His head was not even remotely human, lacking ears, lips, and a nose while displaying three pupiless eyes, two enormous horns, and a small bone spike on the middle of his scalp. More bony protrusions were visible on Weiss’ waist, stomach, and shoulders, but the biggest one of all was a tentacular appendage attached to his neck, evoking both a whip-like tail and a second external spine. 

“**Aahhh…_that’s_ more like it!**” Weiss’s voice had gained a growling undertone and a deep reverb, as though his vocal cords now contained a tiny thunderstorm of their own. “**See what happens when you push me too far, Crimson Cunts? I’ve made like Nesmon and unleashed my _real_ form; the form of a GOD!! Call me…_ALMIGHTY WEISS!!!!_**”

“Apparently, your ‘godhood’ doesn’t come with creative naming flair…” Despite his wry quip, Max radiated tension as he hefted his sword into a combat stance. “Brace yourselves, lads; I have a _bad_ feeling about this…”

Brian, Scafe, and Eli nodded in grim acknowledgement as they readied themselves for one last battle with their longtime arch-enemy. With the fate of the Nexus hanging in the balance, the Councilmen could only hope that they would be strong enough to defeat the newly-empowered Weiss…or at least take him down with them. 

**-THE SOCIETY WILL RETURN-**


	4. Stormbreaker

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Weiss unleashes his ace in the hole.

## Tales of the Society - The Azure Age

### Chapter 10.4: Stormbreaker

**_Last time on _Tales of the Society…**

_Despite their numbers, the Crimson Society was hard-pressed against the combined force of Weiss and the Cipher-activated “Clusterfuck 2.0”. While the cyborg Chimera was undoubtedly the main threat, the Azure Initiative leader got in his fair share of suckerpunches, eventually breaking away from the main fight to battle the Crimson Councilmen. The rest of the Society was left to deal with the upgraded Chimera, eventually pooling their strength into a single mighty blow to overcome its unnatural resilience._

_Though critically wounded, Clusterfuck 2.0 still had enough life left in it to seize Gabe and prepare a devastating suicide attack…only for Amethyst to suddenly leap into the fray. Fuelled by desperate adrenaline, she was able to save her little brother from certain death…at the cost of serious injuries to herself and an unexpected meeting with Weiss. The electrokinetic Neo Human expected Amethyst to come crawling back to his side, but the cyborg’s patience for him had finally expired; she vented all of her pent-up frustration towards her abusive “lover” in a furious rant that ended with her storming off in a huff, their relationship officially over._

_Of course, Weiss didn’t take this well at all; in fact, Amethyst’s brazen rejection proved to be the ultimate breaking point for his fragile sanity. Consumed by hatred for everyone - especially the Society - he played his final “trump card”: a transformation into a “true” Neo Human like his brother! Now, with their allies incapacitated by the preemptive strike of their _literally_ monstrous archnemesis, it’s up to Brian, Eli, Scafe, and Max to take down the so-called “**Almighty Weiss**” before he ends the Crimson-Azure feud in his favor…_

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

For an instant, the scene was eerily quiet; even the raging thunderstorm outside seemed to be holding its breath for the benefit of the standoff in the ravaged Azure HQ. Despite having the numerical advantage, the Crimson Councilmen eyed the newly-minted “Almighty” Weiss with apprehension; they were still trying to fathom the ease with which he had incapacitated all of their friends. On the other hand, Weiss seemed to regard the Councilmen with arrogant disdain, clearly relishing the fear flickering across the four men’s faces. 

“Well……_shit,_” Eli gulped. “The chances of my suit being ruined _again_ have just gone up tenfold…any battle plans, guys?”

“If he wasn’t blowing smoke about pulling a Nesmon, I’d say that his lightning powers will have taken a large jump in power…for a _start._” Behind his mask, Max’s eyes never left the monstrous form before him, watching for even the barest hint of aggression. “Judging by the buffed physique and extra arms, his physical attacks will be enhanced as well…and I wouldn’t count out the more…exotic…additions, either.” His gaze flicked over Weiss’s new horns and tail-spine, but Brian only scoffed.

“C’mon guys, this shouldn’t scare us!” The spider-bunny began drawing as he spoke. “We’ve taken down bigger than him - if anything, that whole talk of him being “Almighty” is probably just for show! Let’s show this fucker what we do to those with a God complex!” Holstering his pencil in his ear, he hefted his newly-drawn gatling gun and opened fire; in response, Weiss clapped his lower pair of hands together, causing electricity to gather around them. To Brian’s amazement, the mutated Neo-Human spread his arms out, creating a crackling barrier that stopped the bullets in their tracks. When the gunfire petered out, Weiss glowered at the bewildered Councilmen - if not for his lack of lips, he would almost certainly be sneering.

“**A cute effort, but not enough. Take your shit back.**” The monster’s eyes glowed more brightly as he raised his electrified hands and made a twisting motion, seemingly flipping his barrier 180 degrees. The Councilmen realized what was coming just in time to dive aside; an instant later, Weiss dropped the barrier, causing all of the bullets to fly right back where they came from. 

“Shit!! Maybe we should avoid any projectile attacks; he’s just gonna return ‘em to sender!” Scafe winced as a few stray bullets grazed his wings. 

“Well then, let’s see how he likes it up close and personal!” Eli twirled his staff and charged straight towards Weiss. Max and Scafe were quick to join in on the attack; the former followed in Eli’s wake, while the latter took to the air and summoned two Thunder Chains.

“**Bad idea, Councilmites!**” The “Almighty” villain slammed all four of his fists into each other, creating a small burst of lightning around his body and charging all four of his arms with electricity. He then rushed forward, ignoring Eli’s dodge in favor of barreling towards the masked assassin behind him. Anticipating the rush, Max swung his sword in a wide horizontal arc, but Weiss only reached out with his electrified arms, easily catching the blade in a flash of dark blue light.

“Bugger all…” Max had barely registered the sudden move before his feet left the ground; using the sword as leverage, Weiss hurled him clear across the room. The bear managed to stop himself by planting his blade in the ground, but he was wide open for a follow-up - fortunately, Scafe managed to halt Weiss by wrapping his chains around his upper arms. “Thanks, Scafe!”

“Just get outta there!” the dragon barked, clearly straining to even hold his position. “This jerk is…a _lot_...stronger than I…WHOA!!” Now it was his turn to yelp as Weiss thrust his bound arms forward, dragging the dragon out of the air. Once Scafe was close enough, the tendril on the back of Weiss’s head cracked itself like a whip, delivering two deft strikes that snapped the chains and sent Scafe reeling backward.

“**Learn your place, you flying lizard: grovelling at my-**” Weiss’s taunt was interrupted when Eli’s staff made a sharp impact with his side. The chinchilla was little more than a blur as he dashed around the room, looking for his next opportunity to attack; as a result, he wasn’t prepared for the swirling blue vortex of energy that opened up in his path. By the time he saw it, he had already passed through…and found himself right in front of his less-than-pleased opponent.

“**Got any sassy bullshit for me _now,_ furball?**” Even with his limited expression, Weiss’s savage grin was audible as he seized Eli by the neck.

“Ugh…! I…I…” Despite gasping for air, Eli’s scornful glare never faltered. “…Irene did it _fiiiirst!_” His taunt was rewarded by an intense shock from the grasping hand, only interrupted when Weiss sensed another presence coming up behind him.

“Drop the biologically-unrelated Buena, Weiss!” Brian punctuated his demand with the swing of a drawn battleaxe, aimed for the arm holding Eli. Unfortunately, Weiss’s tendril blocked the swing with enough force to nearly knock Brian off of his feet, giving the Neo Human mutant ample time to turn around and deliver a short but brutal combo with his free fists. He ended the beating with a kick that popped Brian into the air, allowing him to toss Eli into the hybrid. The momentum sent both Councilmen flying into another portal, which deposited them in a heap near the recovering Scafe.

“**HAHAHAHA! SUFFER, YOU FOOLS!**” Weiss’s malevolent glee matched the crackle of lightning around his hands and horns. “**_VIOLENT VOLT!!!_**” A portal opened above him as he sent a massive beam of blue-white electricity into it; judging by the smaller portals opening around the downed Society members, the Councilmen could guess his intent.

“Max!” Scafe shouted. “We gotta help Brian and Eli - they’re sitting ducks!”

“You don’t need to tell me twice, my friend!” With a thrust of his sword, Max raised a sturdy earthen ring around the room, shielding his allies from the portals - and not a moment too soon. The rock had barely settled into place before Weiss’s beam shot out of the portals in rapid sequence, blasting the walls to dust and just barely missing Brian, Eli, and the rest of the still-dazed Society members. Unfortunately, Weiss’s final portal opened directly behind Max himself, blasting him into the opposite wall before he could pull his sword from the ground.

“**Don’t you fucking _get it_ yet!?**” the four-armed monstrosity bellowed. “**All your efforts are just delaying the inevitable - at the end of the day, you’re still just insects compared to me! And sooner or later, you’ll end up like any other insect…FRIED TO A CRISP!!!**”

“Urgh…grrrrr…Weiss… You…_Yyyoouu!!_” Brian’s eyes twitched as he struggled back to his feet. “You want to play rough…? You want to _play_ this fucking game?! Have it your way. The gloves are coming off here…_and now!_” His voice gained a familiar bestial undertone as his eyes flashed purple.

“**Hahahaha!!!**” Weiss’s roaring laughter was a clap of thunder. “**And just what are you gonna do, spider boy?”**

“Oh… Not _me…_” Brian’s grin showed off the rows of fangs sprouting in his mouth. “…Zeus……_Take the wheel!_”

“_About damn time~!_” The Parasite’s voice came from Brian’s mouth as he mutated into his Hostile form. “_Let me show you the difference between a delusional freak like you and a _truly_ ascendant being like me!_”

“**Copying my trump card, are we?**” Weiss scoffed. “**A fat lot of good that Parasite will do you!! I surpass it in every way!**

“_Don’t count your Infectors before they settle in,_” Zeus coolly replied. “_We’ve been around longer than you could wash your disgusting clothes. As the hipster mortals would say…‘We were doing transformations before they were cool’._”

“…Wooow. Way to flub the punchline, Zeus.” Eli rolled his eyes as he got to his feet as well. “And I thought _Brian_ had trouble with the quips…”

“_Silence, you frizzy-haired buffoon!!_” Zeus barked. “_I’m not above giving you an _extra_-close shave once I’ve ripped Weiss to pieces!_”

“Alright, alright! Jeez…” Eli glanced around the room to take stock of the situation: most of the Society was still out cold, but Scafe and Max were ready for more. “Guess we’re gonna have to bust out one of the classics, eh?”

“Just what I was thinking, Eli.” Max looked up at Scafe as the latter took flight once again. “Feel up for the good ol’ ‘1-2-3-4’?”

The dragon’s only response was a grin as he drew his scimitar and began flying in a wide arc around Weiss. The mutant Neo-Human merely laughed again, already recharging his body with electricity.

“**Really?! _That_ old trick again? You idiots are even _dumber_ than I thought if you think I’ll-**” Weiss whirled around, barrier in place to meet the expected attack, but instead of a full-power staff strike from Eli, he only saw the chinchilla and Hostile Brian darting away in opposite directions. “**What the fu-**”

“NOW!!!” The shout was Max’s cue to raise another round of rock spikes from the floor, trapping Weiss in a circle of stone. The villain had no time to register the trap before a large blob of webbing splattered over his face, courtesy of Hostile Brian; despite his obscured vision, he could clearly hear Eli’s rapid footsteps and Scafe’s wingbeats closing in.

“**You predictable fucking morons…Did you forget about THIS?!**” With a furious roar, Weiss released a massive burst of lightning from his body, incinerating the webbing over his eyes and demolishing the rock encircling him. When the crash of thunder faded away, he smugly scanned the room, looking for the scorched bodies of the Councilmen…

…and receiving a tentacle to the neck in his moment of distraction.

“_As a matter of fact…no, we didn’t!_” Zeus cackled as his mutated right arm began repeatedly swinging Weiss over his head, slamming him into the ground on every pass. “_We _did,_ however, notice that you need to charge up your powers to use your flashier tricks…and I’d say that last burst of yours left them nice and drained~ Which, of course, leads to one conclusion…wouldn’t you say, Scafe~?_” He punctuated the question by hurling Weiss into the air, allowing Scafe to lash a massive Explosive Chain around the stunned monster. 

“Eeeyup…that means you’re _fucked,_ Weiss!” With his foe held in place, Scafe joined Max in repeatedly dashing past Weiss, delivering a series of powerful slashes. They finished the assault with a perfectly-timed double stab to the red-glowing links of Scafe’s chains, causing them to explode violently. The blast sent Weiss plummeting straight down, right into a flurry of upward jabs from Eli. 

“And now to really bring it all home~!” Eli’s cry prompted his fellow Councilmen to charge at the seemingly-immobilized Weiss. “Take this~!! CRIMSON FIN- huh?!” The shout died in his throat when his target vanished in a flash of lightning.

“**ENOUGH OF THIS TRIPE!**” Weiss snarled in frustration as he reappeared beside Eli and seized his staff. His horns crackled as electricity was channeled into the metal rod, shocking the chinchilla in more ways than one as the ex-human lifted him into the air via his weapon. With Max, Scafe, and Hostile Brian closing in, Weiss swung the staff (and Eli) around himself, catching the other Councilmen in the electrical torture. When all of his enemies were trapped in the deadly field, Weiss tossed the staff like a javelin, sending the heroic foursome crashing into the wall.

“**I’m THROUGH playing around with you dumbasses! Let’s see how you like a _real_ attack!**” Weiss’s hands flared with lightning as he fired a series of orbs at the stunned Councilmen. On contact, the orbs expanded to envelop each hero, lifting them high into the air even as they were electrocuted violently.

“**Good-fucking-bye, ‘sirs’!**” It was hard to say what was more intense: Weiss’s eyes or the electricity surging through his body and into his hands. “**_LIGHTNING HORROR!!!_**” He thrust his arms skyward, firing a barrage of electric spears at the trapped Councilmen. Their screams were barely audible over the crash of each spear’s impact, but the worst was yet to come; even further overhead, the spears converged into a single rapidly-growing orb of pure energy. Even without any lips, Weiss appeared to be grinning maniacally as he prepared the _coup de grace_.

“**NOW…_DIIIIIIIEEEEEEE!!!!!!!_**” With a furious downward swipe, Weiss caused the orb to descend upon the Councilmen. The resulting detonation briefly illuminated the whole of New Iridu City, the sound shaking every building down to its foundations. As battered as it was, the Azure Initiative HQ barely survived being at ground zero; it was little more than a few half-broken walls and scorched furnishings by the time the explosion cleared.

“**HAAAAHAHAHAHAHAAA!!! How was _that_, Crimson Cunts!?**” Weiss’s laughter drowned out even the storm as he regarded the results of his handiwork. “**That’s the _real_ power of a god: the power that marks _me_ as the ultimate being!**” He sneered as he returned his attention to the quartet of smouldering forms that had fallen before him. “**And look at what happens when you try to contest that: you end up lying face-down in the dirt, at my feet…where you _belong!_**” His savage amusement only grew when he noticed the barest stirrings among the Councilmen; even in the face of his ultimate attack, they were still clinging to life.

“**It didn’t _have_ to be this way, you know. You had _every_ chance to avoid all this; all you had to do was put your fatass egos aside and accept the obvious truth! You just had to accept my undeniably awesome superiority and show me a bit of fucking respect!**” The self-proclaimed god stalked forward as he spoke, relishing his moment of triumph. “**But _noooo_…you _had_ to be stubborn, didn’t you? You _had_ to get in my way at every. Fucking. _Turn!_**” He stopped right in front of the downed Councilmen, his very presence radiating malice.

“**You kicked me out of your stupid little club…forced me to associate with the trash that _you_ were dumb enough to entertain in the first place!**” His foot made brutal contact with Eli’s side, forcing a plume of blood and a scream of pain from the chinchilla’s mouth.

“**You _refused_ to just up and fucking _DIE_ like you were supposed to!**” Scafe howled in agony as Weiss stomped on his back, right at the junction between his wings.

“**And all the while, you just _had_ to cling to the moral high ground…claim that you were _above_ me…above us all! You delusional little FUCKHEADS!!!**” The next kick was directed at Max’s face, cracking his mask and nearly snapping his neck from whiplash, but Weiss didn’t even spare him a glance as he moved onto his final target.

“**Do you _get it_ now? Is it _finally_ beginning to sink in!?**” For several moments, Weiss stared down at Brian (back to his normal state) with almost tangible hatred and disgust. “**You were fucked from the get go, Brian; from the _very first moment_ you landed on the Nexus. Your stupid idealistic bullshit made you think that you could make something of yourself by grouping up with these other losers…like you could erase your collective incompetence with ‘the power of _friendship_’…hrmph. How’s _that_ working out for you, huh?**” His back tendril coiled around the spider-bunny’s neck, squeezing just hard enough to restore a semblance of consciousness before lifting him into the air.

“**Newsflash, _Sarge_; there’s no place for friends on the Nexus. This place is a dog-eat-dog world; the only ones you can trust are the people who submit to your strength! I see that, Nesmon sees that, Cipher sees that, Tsuneo sees that…noticing a pattern here?**” The tendril on Brian’s neck loosened slightly, but only so Weiss could grab the hybrid’s shoulders and turn him to behold his fallen comrades. “**All of us ‘selfish’ types _thrived_ on this clusterfuck of a planet…and _none_ of us are in imminent danger of annihilation, amirite?**”

Brian could only blink blearily, a strained rasp emanating from his throat as he was turned back to face his tormentor. “**That’s what separates us from you losers; we don’t _need_ friends. And what separates _me_ from them is that I don’t need _anyone_; friends, allies, minions, whatever! I get by on my _own_ damn power and vision…and _that’s_ why I’ve gotten as far as I have! _That’s_ why I’m the best; why _I_ have the _right_ to rule…or DESTROY…this cosmic fucking garbage heap! How d’you like _that_ dose of reality, Spider-Cunt!?**”

For a second that felt like an eternity, Weiss’s three-eyed gaze bored into Brian, daring the half-dead hybrid to muster a response. Suddenly, despite everything, the hybrid gave the only answer he could in his beaten state; literally spitting in his enemy’s face. The purple blob barely grazed its intended target, with most of it trickling down Brian’s chin, but the defiance was not lost on Weiss - his eyes nearly burst aflame from the intensity of his returning wrath.

“**Congratulations, Brian…you’ve just won the honor of being the first of you do-gooders to _die!!!_**” Weiss’s hands seized Brian’s ankles and wrists as he prepared to tear the spider into quarters, but something made him pause; the sound of Brian’s communicator going off in his ear. With his heightened hearing, Weiss heard the message almost as clearly as Brian: the familiar modulated voice of Tsuneo.

“…So that’s the gist of it.” The revenant spoke calmly, without a hint of rage or surprise. It seemed that he was expecting - no, that he had _planned_ for this to happen. “I give you a direct shot at the shock jock supreme and a coordinator for the big finale, and you supply the means for my friends to get their own swings in before getting the hell outta dodge. Cleaner _and_ more satisfying than your original plan, no?”

“Indeed…Tsuneo…” Quantum’s voice was halting and interspersed with soft crackling, but the lack of an outright stutter indicated that he had recovered at least some of his strength after Weiss’s beating. “This plan will be…the optimal…outcome for both of us…and more suited to my…nature. As you said previously…I am a true saboteur…even to my own allies.”

“You heard that, huh?” Tsuneo allowed himself the briefest hint of amusement. “Well… Given what the EKGs are telling me, everyone but the Council just took a bad hit… Your part just got a whole lot harder.”

“The obstacles…are irrelevant…” Quantum replied stoically. “My objective _will_ be completed…at any cost…even allying with those who would…normally…seek to impede me…”

_So, _that’s_ where my traitorous cyber-mon ran off to…striking a deal with the Society’s shadow dictator! I’ll have to vaporize them later…but…_ Weiss’s brow furrowed as he processed Tsuneo’s words. _From the sound of it, this was a few minutes back…some sort of recording, then. But…why the fuck would a recording be playing…right…now…?!_ Although his face’s emotional range was limited, the slight paling of his skin and widening of his eyes belied his sudden horrible epiphany; an epiphany reinforced when he became aware of a quiet beeping around the edges of the room.

“I won’t…fail you again…Weiss. I _will_ save you…**even if it means destroying what you’ve become.**” The firm conviction in Quantum’s voice came from two directions as the Zoroark himself decloaked behind Weiss and threw a strange device at his ex-master. The monstrous Neo Human whipped his tendril, but just a hair too late to stop the machine from latching onto his back. Its loud beeps were mimicked around the room as several more devices revealed themselves, resembling small cylinders ringed with antennae. Panels on their sides opened up, releasing a thick blue mist over the ground that quickly engulfed the downed Society members.

“I hope you’re prepared, everyone.” That response was live; Tsuneo himself was back in communication. “Thanks to the devices Quantum set, you’re about to get a second wind…and Weiss is about to be _grounded._” That was Weiss’s only warning before the device on his back activated itself, visibly drawing energy through his tainted veins. In a matter of seconds, he felt all of the strength vanish from his limbs, causing him to drop Brian into the mist even as the rest of the Society began to rise.

“About time, Tsuneo! I thought this storm was killing our communication or something!” Eli sounded almost elated to hear his rival’s voice. “And getting Quantum to help us out even _after_ his near-miss? Dude owe ya a favor or somethin’?” He scanned the room in search of their cybernetic helper, but there wasn’t even a trace of him to be seen.

“Something like that,” Tsuneo replied. “We had similar plans for hitting Weiss from afar; I just gave him a logical reason to get you outta the danger zone first. I couldn’t let Weiss key into it ‘til everything was set up, so I had to keep you in the dark. Sounds like things got uglier than I expected…but you all survived. I _knew_ you would.” His pride in his friends was audible. “Now give that egotistic sparkplug hell and then some; I’ve got one last surprise in the wings, but I’ll need a minute.”

“**Hrrrgh……You…!**” Weiss staggered back a few steps, holding his stomach with his lower arms while his upper arms and back tendril futilely tried to reach the device draining his strength. “**Even now…you’re going for…the cheap shot…not gonna…face me…head-on…**” Despite himself, he managed a short, mirthless laugh. “**That’s why…you’re their _real_ boss…you’re…just like me…**” His taunt was met with another beep from the machine as it activated a hidden speaker of its own. 

“No, Weiss…I’m **not.**” The edge in Tsuneo’s voice was cold enough to freeze a volcano solid and hard enough to cut it clean in half. “You’re right that the Nexus is a veritable badlands of strong people; anyone could kill anyone else at any time if they wanted. You’re right to believe that power is the only real law here; many _will_ ally with whoever has the biggest stick. But what you don’t understand - what you _never_ understood - is that the strongest bonds _aren’t_ forged through power; rather, it’s the opposite.

“The strongest power is formed _through_ bonds…_real_ bonds, forged of trust, respect, and a common goal. No great man stands alone - even your Neo-Nazi ratfuck of a brother understands that much - and _that’s_ why you’re about to lose everything you have left. Because when it’s you against the world…” He paused just long enough for everyone to notice the ever-growing pitch of the beeping on Weiss’s back.

“…**you’ll lose every time.**” Tsuneo’s summation vanished in a roar of energy as the device he spoke through exploded violently, flooring Weiss while dispersing all of his stolen electricity. An instant later, the medigel dispensers followed suit, releasing clouds of adrenaline to shake off the last of the Society’s torpor; even Brian was back to fighting form, despite his more limited exposure to the healing mist.

“Crimson Society…CHAAARGE!!!” Like the gunshot at the start of a race, Tsuneo’s order sent the entire Society into action. As usual, Eli’s incredible speed let him get the first shot: a quick off-the-ground punt to force Weiss back to his feet.

“You heard him, boys and girls; go for broke!” Scafe caught the Neo-Human in his purple-glowing Hades Chains, forcibly dragging the villain towards the rest of the Society. Emily jumped right in with a flying kick; Zs was right behind her with a brutal overhead strike. The momentum of the blows swung Weiss over Scafe, allowing the dragon to slam him into the ground with bone-cracking force. The chains had barely released their prisoner before Matt slammed into him with both of his repaired scythe-arms, spewing a veritable shotgun blast of acid right into Weiss’s face.

“Stomp this ugly mother!” Dante shouted energetically as he, Tim, Juliet and Max all pinned one of Weiss’s arms with their blades. Matt quickly jumped off of Weiss to make way for Zuula and JoJo, who both jumped on him to viciously pummel his exposed chest with fists, claws, swords and tentacles alike. Meanwhile, Tavo used his Hellgate to call out Emperor once more, cackling to himself as the adrenaline rush threatened to overwhelm his small body.

“Outta the way, you two - IT’S MOSHING TIME!!!” Tavo’s manic bellow was the only warning for Emperor to start pummeling Weiss into a crater, shattering the floor beneath him with every punch. Despite the beating, the most damage Weiss suffered was to his patience; after about five punches, he let out a _literally_ thunderous roar, blowing away everyone around him with a massive burst of electricity and force. Before he could rise, a portal opened above him to disgorge a miniature “bunker buster” missile. The heavy projectile stabbed right through Weiss’s weakened chest, pinning him in the crater as Irene opened several more portals overhead. 

“Everyone, drop **_EVERYTHING_** in that crater! LET HIM **HAVE** IT!” Even as she said this, the butterfly-winged woman led by example, dropping a bevy of small bombs from her portals on top of Weiss. It wasn’t long before the rest of the Society joined in; Brian and B. Nana threw their entire arsenals of drawn and grown explosives, Juliet lined the edges of the crater with every knife she could throw, and Gabe tossed as many explosive dodgeballs as he could summon. When the crater was nearly overflowing with explosives, Becky sealed it under a massive slab of ice as Hanna floated high above it, his Ghostly Core ablaze with gathering strength. With Tim’s magic accelerating the charge, it took only seconds for Hanna to unleash an absolutely colossal beam of spirit energy, which flew right through the ice to trigger all the explosives at once. The ice shielded the Society from the brunt of the heat and shrapnel, but the combined detonation shook the ground with enough intensity to make it feel like the entire city was about to split open.

“Ho…ho…holy crap...” Brian chuckled tiredly as he regarded the now massive and charred crater, the melted remains of the ice sheet lying all over the area. “I don’t think he’ll be...getting up from that…” His assurance was met with a resounding slap from his Zeus-infected hand.

“_How many _times_ have I _told_ you NOT TO _TEMPT_ FUCKING FA-_” The Parasite’s irate reprimand was cut off by a large, scorched hand clamping over his hand-mouth and yanking Brian closer to the crater. A moment later, a second hand seized Brian’s upper arm and twisted violently, nearly tearing the hybrid’s limb in two.

“_AAAAAAGH!!!!_” Brian’s spider legs flailed wildly in a combination of pain and desperate attempts to strike back, but all for naught; even in his weakened and battered state, Weiss was able to subdue him. The rest of the Society went pale as their nemesis rose from the crater, still able-bodied despite looking much worse for the wear. Once again, Brian was trapped in the monster’s four-armed grip: one held his unbroken arm, another grasped his ankles, a third had gathered up all of his spider limbs in a painful-looking bundle, and the last had his neck barred.

“**Alright…that is absolutely…_fucking…IT!_ I’ve had enough of you all!**” Weiss’s murderous growl would’ve made 1:30 proud as his body crackled with his returning electricity. “**Maybe your string-pulling zombie ‘pal’ was right…maybe I _was_ wrong all this time. Maybe I _can’t_ beat you all by myself…maybe I _am_ gonna die here…maybe I _am_ gonna lose everything…maybe I fucking _am._**” He would’ve almost seemed just a hair remorseful if not for the ever-growing aura of power around himself, with bolts of lightning arcing from his horns to the skies above. “**…But even so…even if I’m done for…I’m not letting you fuckers win! You hear me!? I refuse…I REFUSE!…_TO LET! YOU!! LIVE!!!_**”

Weiss’s declaration was punctuated by the loudest roar of thunder anyone had yet heard. The storm seemed to be contracting; the clouds were coalescing into one big mass directly overhead, equal parts black and purple from the gathered lightning. No one dared move, even when Brian’s pained squirming began to intensify from contact with Weiss’s own building electricity; with the sheer volume of power being gathered, it would be a miracle if they survived what was coming even at _this_ distance…

But as the clouds retreated from the rest of the sky, Irene glimpsed something in the distance; a red dot, rapidly drawing closer. Diverting as much of her attention as she dared, she opened a small portal in the sky, giving her a much better view of the oncoming object.

_…A **predator missile?!** This must be the “last surprise” Tsuneo mentioned earlier…nice choice, love._ Despite a small surge of warmth in her heart, Irene focused on the immediate problem, quickly doing some mental calculations. _It’s not gonna get here in time to do much good…not without some help, at least…_ She bit her lip as she realized what she’d have to do. _Gods above…I’m sorry, Brian, but I’m about to take you for one last ride…_

With the barest wince, Irene opened a pair of portals; one in the missile’s path and the other right behind Weiss. The mutated villain felt the intense pressure of the missile hitting him right in the back - ironically, right where the power-draining device had latched on - but only for a moment. In the next heartbeat, the red-tipped warhead detonated in a massive surge of familiar bladed projectiles, shredding Weiss’s back right through to the bone. Between the loss of his motor control and the force of the impact, Brian was knocked from Weiss’s grip, landing in an undignified heap on what remained of the floor as his captor fell into the dead center of the crater.

“You call yourself a god, Weiss…” Irene smarmed, “…but what’s a god to _non-believers~?_”

The mocking words had barely reached Weiss’s ears before the final blow was struck - not from any of the Society, but from the heavens themselves. The entire storm seemed to pop like a balloon, disgorging a lightning bolt that made the others look like static cling. It crashed directly on the now-helpless Weiss, prompting a scream of utmost agony as he absorbed a wattage far beyond even his own substantial limit. 

Someone yelled “TAKE COVER!!”, but the Society needed no encouragement, reflexively diving to the floor as the surging electricity reached its climax. The resulting explosion still sent them tumbling, but Brian - still lying at the edge of the crater - had the misfortune to catch a bit of the blast as well, adding his own cry of pain to the din as he was catapulted several meters. Of course, that was nothing compared to what happened to Weiss - his veins seemed to illuminate his entire body before it came apart entirely.

When the cacophony finally died down, the Society dragged themselves to their feet to survey the scene. The Azure Initiative HQ was completely obliterated, reduced to the scorched outline of a foundation. The rest of New Iridu City was dark - the sheer force of the electrical explosion had knocked out power across the city. And Weiss, the last remnant of the Azure Initiative, the architect of the Crimson Rebellion…was reduced to flakes and chunks of mostly-carbonized flesh, some of the smaller pieces still floating down like morbid snow.

“Holy…holy shit.” Eli shook his head vigorously, seemingly disbelieving of his own eyes. “It’s...it’s finally over, isn’t it?”

“Yeah…” The massive sword fell from Max’s hands in a rare display of fatigue. “The Azure Initiative is officially dead; no more will they threaten the world we live in.”

“I wouldn’t count this a total victory just yet, though.” Scafe’s ears drooped as he gingerly picked up Brian. The hybrid’s whole body was marred by Lichtenstein scars, and it looked like he’d broken a few more limbs during his fall, but he was still breathing…if only shallowly. “Brian is still alive, but not by that much. Irene, stabilize him; the rest of you, go get the ship.”

The other Society members nodded mutely before setting off on their assigned tasks. The feud was over, their long battle at an end…but here and now, none of them felt like celebrating. In time, the magnitude of their victory would set in, exhaustion and lingering terror giving way to elation and long-awaited triumph; for now, all any of them wanted was a nice long sleep in their beds.

“Mission accomplished, Society.” Tsuneo rang in at last. “You boys and girls get home and get some rest. I’ll head over there and detain Amethyst myself until we’re ready to have her serve her sentence. Given what I heard going on and what the Chrome-Dome did to her previously, I don’t think she’ll be very fussy about my taking the necessary precautions. We can discuss what to do with her another day.”

“Til then, we’re gonna take this bed of laurels and rest…at long fucking last.” Scafe chuckled wearily; only his determination to see this finished right kept him from passing out on the spot. “See you at home, Tsuneo.”

**-THE SOCIETY WILL RETURN-**


	5. Die Divided, Triumph Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The epilogue.

## Tales of the Society - The Azure Age

### Epilogue: Die Divided, Triumph Together

_“And that was the day we finally took Weiss down. We beat him senseless and killed him dead, we put a definitive end to his mad plans, we finally saved the Nexus at large, we-”_

“...Brian, can we save the dramatic concluding narration for _after_ we have a drink? All this recap is drying out my mouth!” Eli’s interruption prompted a laugh from the others and calls of “Seconded!” from Max and Scafe.

“Heh…good point.” Brian chuckled as he stood up and grabbed the nearest can of Grape Soda. “Alright, I believe a toast is in order.” Everyone nodded, taking hold of their own drinks as Brian cleared his throat for one of his famous speeches. 

“I know it might have felt like it was only yesterday since we rid the Nexus of the Azure Initiative. There were satisfying highs and disappointing lows; many surprises both welcome and fuckin’ _awful_. But, in the end, we all stand here; not only as a unit, not only as a collective…but as something that the Azure Initiative could _never_ be…_a family._ From seasoned veterans to aspiring newcomers, from longtime friends to all-new faces, our victory against Weiss and his band of misfits has paved the way for a new, better era…for all of us. And honestly…as one of the five Councilmen, I couldn’t be any more proud of how far we’ve all come.

“Now…before we have our toast…I’d like to give my fellow founders their due chance to speak. Tsuneo, Scafe, Max, Eli…if you would? Share some wise words with our comrades.”

Tsuneo nodded as he rose to give the first speech. “I would hope that I never have to remind any of you the same lesson I had to give to Weiss at the end of it all, but never forget that we’re all strong together. We all have our specialties, some not as obvious in a fight, but that same diversity is what allows all of us to stand in the face of anything the Nexus can throw at us. I like to think that we’ve _all_ helped each other rise a little higher than where we started…and I fell in the _best_ possible way.” Even behind his mask, it was obvious that he was looking at Irene; she answered with a quick wave as hearts appeared on her wings and several “awww”s sounded around her.

“It’s crazy to think that we ever saw anything good in the Azures…present company excluded…” Scafe glanced over at Amethyst, still sitting near the fire with Gabe. “…but in a way, I’m _glad_ that everything went the way it did. When I joined the Crimson Council, I thought I had become a completely different person from who I was…but the future Azures wore me down, letting the ‘old me’ crawl back to the surface. While we battled Weiss and Co., I was also forced to confront _myself_…and thanks to that, I mended a bridge that I thought was burned forever.” His eyes briefly lighted on Tsuneo, who gave the barest hint of a nod in acknowledgement as Max took his turn.

“The Assassin’s guild has many creeds, but one always stood out to me: _victory is rewarding, but teamwork is an entirely different kind of treasure_. Working with you all has reminded me so much of my days in the guild. And while I wouldn’t throw away those memories, being with you all has given me new ones to look back on. There is so much that my friends back at the guild would _never_ believe…especially the part about me being dissected by a rabid ponyphile.” He allowed himself a tiny shudder; even now, he still had the odd nightmare about that day. “Regardless of that…working with you all has been a pleasurable experience that I will gladly continue for the rest of my life. Even if my duties to the guild clashed with my duties to you…I would not think twice of siding with you.”

Finally, Eli offered his two cents. “Look guys, lemme really level with y’all. We, as a group, showed those Azures that the Crimson Society is here to stay! We’re officially on the map as a Big Deal…which could be a good or bad thing, depending on who hears it. And while the story of the Azure Age is over, let’s not kid ourselves; that was just _one_ chapter of our legend. And boy, hehehehe…I think the party can only get crazier from here, am I right~?”

“_Couldn’t have said it better myself,_” Zeus added. “_There’s truth in Eli’s words: though Weiss’s days are over, we shouldn’t get comfortable. It’s a big Nexus, and I’d bet my love of tits that there’s worse than the Azures lurking in the shadows. Sooner or later, other threats will arise; some we might know of, and some we’ll probably never expect. But until that day comes…pat yourselves on the back, mortals. You’ve earned it._”

“And I think that’s a way we can end this off,” Brian continued. “So…my friends. Raise your glasses with me as we toast in honor of our victory! Divided they died, and together we triumphed! To the Crimson Society!” 

“_To the Crimson Society!_” The others echoed Brian’s shout before taking a swig of their chosen drinks. Following the toast, the group had dispersed to mingle among themselves, but Gabe and Amethyst remained by the fire, exchanging stories about what they’d been up to since they’d last seen each other. The rest of the Society had given the siblings time alone out of respect for their ordeals, but Brian eventually made a point of approaching them.

“Now…there’s still the matter of you,” Brian glanced at Amethyst as he took a seat beside her. “Have you thought about what you’re gonna do, now that Weiss is gone?”

“I…really don’t know.” Amethyst shrugged. “I’m sure you boys still remember that I’m a ‘live for the moment’ kind of girl; I kinda just…flit here and there, having fun where I can find it. Honestly, the whole Society-Azure thing was just my latest diversion…but after what happened _there,_ well…let’s just say that I’m not in the mood for any more flings for the foreseeable future.” 

“_About that…what did you _ever_ see in that bald douchebag?_” Zeus asked. “_What compelled you to ever sleep with him, let alone be his girlfriend?_” He pointedly ignored Brian’s stinkeye at the lack of propriety, but Amethyst simply raised an eyebrow.

“Well, Zeus…would you be surprised if I told you that I was…desperate?” The cyborg goat-girl’s gaze became distant. “Yeah, I know, cliché as hell…but it’s true! Things were never easy for my brother and I once our parents passed. Gabe did as much as he could - even built my very first set of arms - but it wasn’t enough. There’s only so much your younger sibling can do for you before life really starts to kick your door down.” She refocused on her little brother, speaking more to him than to Brian.

“I set out on my own so he could focus on taking care of himself until I could find a way to get us both into a better life. Having a blast along the way was just supposed to be a happy bonus…but I guess somewhere down the line, it became my _main_ reason for doing anything…or anyone.” Her magenta eyes glistened as she looked back at the hybrid Councilman.

“I know I’ve done a lot of terrible things to you and your friends…and there’s no apology big enough to undo them. I’m not gonna beg for the forgiveness I don’t deserve; hell, I’ll turn myself in to the Lightsky authorities if you want. But please…if nothing else…just take care of Gabe for me. All his life, he’s done nothing but look out for me…even when I didn’t really deserve it. The least I can do is make sure that I don’t drag him down with me…”

Gabe looked ready to protest, but Brian silenced him with a gentle spider limb to the mouth. “That goes without saying, Amethyst…but I’d really like it if we could drag _you_ back up while we’re at it. Like I said before, I doubt the authorities will mind if we have you pay your debt to the Nexus by working with us…buuuut…” He drew out the word as his eyes briefly flicked to the side.

“Buuuut…what?” Amethyst asked with a hint of apprehension, sensing another shoe about to drop.

“Well…after the Retention Program you’ve been through over the last year, we can definitely see you’ve got a better attitude and respect for others’ boundaries,” Brian said. “The Councilmen - myself included - are unanimously willing to give you a pass on your crimes against the Nexus…buuut…you’ve got some more _personal_ issues that need dealing with before you can join the Society again.”

Brian’s glance made Amethyst aware of three more figures approaching her: Emily, Becky, and Irene, none of them looking terribly pleased. “O…Oh…right.” Her entire figure seemed to droop as she looked away at her biggest detractors. “Um…so…hehehe…I guess this is about all the times I…ahem…flirted with your boys when I was in the Society…?”

“I’m gonna admit that I was _kinda_ asking for it when Brian and I decided to have an open relationship,” Emily began. “But there’s a fine line between ‘open relationship’ and ‘open for harassment’…and you, Amy, were on the _wrong fucking side_! Your flirting with Bri-Bri was terrible; it felt like you were outright trying to take him away from me! And that, my fellow goat-girl, is something I do _not_ appreciate.”

“Fair point,” said Amethyst.

“I was fine when you did it a couple times with Scafe - honestly, it’s kinda cute watching him squirm~” Becky chimed in. “But after we hit the double-digit mark, my blood got red-hot…and that’s ironic, to say the least.”

“Fair point,” Amethyst repeated.

“As for Tsuneo…I’m not mad about that. I didn’t know him back then, much less had a relationship, so that’s a moot point, and he’s probably vented his personal complaints to you already.” Irene’s expression went from casual to irate in an instant. “HOWEVER. I _do_ have the _tiny_ issue of your infiltrating and burning down my lab, stealing my plans and using a-**nuclear-fucking-bomb**-that-was-never-meant-to-seethelightofdayon_actuallivingbeings!!!_” Although her rant had accelerated to a pace well beyond Amethyst’s ability to follow, memory alone perfectly illustrated of her grievances.

“_V-very_…fair point.” The cyborg giggled nervously, half-expecting to be portal-dropped into an active volcano. Seeing Amethyst’s obvious fear, Emily took a small breath and softened her tone.

“Listen, Amy; we _know_ you’re workin’ to be better,” she said. “We’ve been keepin’ up with your retention thingy, and it definitely looks like you’re a new woman. We totally _wanna_ let bygones be bygones and all, but…I guess what we’re tryin’ to say is…after all the stuff you did, how are we supposed to trust you again…like, _ever?_”

“W…well…I…uh…” Amethyst was visibly sweating as she struggled to think of a satisfactory response; however, all that came to mind was _You can’t_. Fortunately for her, Gabe came to the rescue.

“Um…ladies?” he ventured. “I know my sister is guilty of a lot of things. I know she’s done a lot to make each and every one of you upset…but you have to understand…she was doing this not because she wanted to…but because she _needed_ to. Weiss had my sister on a leash, even when she didn’t want to admit it…although there may have been _some_ instances where she acted on her own accord…”

“Mostly before the mass purge happened?” Even with Brian trying to wave her down from the sidelines, Emily couldn’t help but let the jab slip out.

“B-but that’s besides the point!” Gabe continued earnestly. “I _know_ that Amy can be better than that - she just needs to spend time around the _right_ people, and I can’t think of any people better than us! I understand that it’s asking a lot from you - especially from her targets’ girlfriends - but if you can’t trust her word, at least trust _mine._ I’ve spent the past year helping Amy keep herself in check; I can keep it up for as long as I need to. It’ll be just like the old days…right, sis?”

“Gabe…” Further words caught in Amethyst’s throat as she digested the extent of her brother’s dedication to help her…as well as surprised by the next voice to speak in her defense.

“I may be the _last_ one to have an opinion on the walking striptease here…” Tsuneo began. “…but if she was going back to her old bullshit, she’d have done so during the Retention Program, in full view of her brother or one of us; a year’s dry spell would break anyone like that. I think it’s safe to say that after Weiss’s…shitshow, there’s no other word for what that was…she’s gonna be more careful about who she gets fresh with. Am I wrong?”

“I couldn’t agree with you more, Tsuneo.” Amethyst nodded before addressing the other girls. “I know it’ll take time for me to make it up to you all - you three especially - but you’ve gotta at least gimme a chance to _try._ What have you got to lose?”

“Our new base?” Irene’s eye twitched, but Tsuneo gave her hand a small squeeze of reassurance.

“You’ve taken every precaution with the explosives now; they’re not even _on_ this island, so I don’t think she’ll have the means to replicate the Old Iridu incident again.” His rationale elicited an affirmative grunt from his girlfriend, but her expression remained suspicious.

“…Y’know what? Fine.” Emily said with a small sigh. “I’ll give you this chance…but only for your brother. He’s a real smart kid; if someone like him has that much faith in you, I don’t see why we can’t give you this opportunity…’sides, it’s not like we haven’t seen bad guys turn good before, right?” She winked at the mouth visible on Brian’s palm, getting a noncommittal hiss in response.

“As long as you promise not to go back to your old ways, I think we’ll be _chill_~!” Becky’s pun did little to defuse the tension as everyone looked to Irene, waiting for her answer with bated breath.

“Irene…come on.” Brian said, folding his arms. “If you won’t do it for her, then do it for Gabe at least. Hell, _Tsuneo_’s willing, and I’ve never met a better judge of character!” 

“…Alright, alright,” Irene groaned in resignation. “I’m not gonna _trust_ her yet, but I’m going to _tolerate_ her for the time being. After all, you don’t just forgive a nuclear atrocity like that so easily.”

“If it helps, you’ll probably forgive me before _I_ forgive myself…” Despite the self-deprecating quip, Amethyst’s eyes sparkled hopefully. “So…does that mean what I think it means…?”

“Well, that depends…you’re serving a disciplinary sentence either way; we’re just giving you a lil’ more freedom here than back on the mainland.” Tsuneo answered, arms crossed and a smug grin plastered under his mask.

“Y’know what? That’s good enough for me!” Amethyst jumped to her feet, looking as if she’d kiss the revenant if she thought she could get away with it. “Thank you _so_ much! And to think, Weiss called you a smug-ass Grade-A dickhead.”

“_Believe me, that isn’t far from the truth-_” Zeus responded jokingly, before the zombie forced Brian’s Grape Soda bottle into his yapping hand-mouth, reducing the rest of his thought to gurgling behind the purple drink he was forced to swallow.

“Dude, c’mon! That’s a waste of perfectly good soda!” Brian’s childish whine caused everyone else to share a laugh, with Gabe giving Amethyst another hug.

“Thank you all so much, everyone!” he cried. “I promise things with Amy will be _much_ different from here on…starting with that get-up! Seriously, sis; if you’re coming back into my life, you’re gonna need to wear more than tape and underwear!”

“Aww, Gaaabe - not _this_ again!” Amethyst adopted a look of utter indignation. “If I’ve told you once, I’ve told you a hundred times: if you’ve got it, ya might as well flaunt it~!” She struck a pose for emphasis, making the others facepalm. “I _may_ agree to doing something about my arms, though - the current design is a bit too ‘ex-Azure’ for my taste…”

“Species of a goat…stubborn as a mule.” The quip heralded Dante’s entry into the conversation, swirling a glass of alcoholic fruit punch in one hand.

“Oh hey, Dante!” Emily chirped. “What brings you by?”

“Oh, y’know, just lettin the bossmen know that Frizzy Anime Man wanted a chat.” Dante jabbed a nonchalant thumb in Eli’s direction. “Said it was pretty important…like, _Planetwide Grape Soda Shortage_-level important.”

“Whoa! The hell!?” Brian looked to Tsuneo for a comment, only to receive a bare shrug. “Well, if it’s _that_ serious, I suppose we might as well see what’s up…”

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

“Hang on, run that by us again…” For once, Scafe found himself doubting his keen sense of hearing. “You’re doing _what_ now?”

“Scafe, you’re a smart enough guy; but let me spell it out for you.” Eli’s smile was a bit less enthusiastic than his usual cocky grin. “I. Am. **Leaving.** The. Society. I’ll gladly repeat it for ya once the other two get here, but don’t make me repeat it before then, eh?” 

“You mean like…for a temporary vacation?” Max asked, tilting his head quizzically.

“Nope! As in, permanently.”

“Ah, that’s what I thought you said.” Max nodded. “And now, allow me to respond to that by saying…**WHY?!**”

“Oh no…don’t tell me…this is about the ‘dishwasher incident’, isn’t it?” Scafe looked ready to pull out chunks of his hair. “I _told_ Tsuneo that you wouldn’t let that one go-”

“Guys, guys, _guys!_ Relax!” Eli interrupted. “This has nothing to do with any of you - I guarantee you that my time with the Society has been a fantastic one from start to finish, warts and all. Hell, I kinda appreciate ol’ Deadfield’s efforts to _clean up my act…_”

“Then, again I ask…WHY?!” Max demanded.

“…Because sometimes you gotta think about your family first.” Eli’s response hushed the other two just in time for Brian and Tsuneo to catch up.

“Ah…the **Chinkillas,**” Brian responded. “I heard word about some delinquents setting up out there, lookin’ alot like you…definitely sounds like your old gang. Raised ya like kin pre-Nexus, and now they’re supposedly all here.”

“Yep.” Eli nodded. “Being here, watching the fall and rise of the Society, was like nothing I never felt…but it also got me thinking about the old crew. I left ‘em behind for…‘creative differences’…to say nothing of when I got beamed to this nutball of a planet…but it sounds like they’ve finally followed me here. It’s one hell of a long shot - all those fuckers brought over and finding each other - but if there’s the slightest chance of ‘em making their Nexian debut…”

“…You’ve got to find them,” Tsuneo finished. “To neutralize their potential threat…or mend the broken bridges?”

“Dunno.” Eli shrugged. “Guess it depends on what they’ve seen and done since I bowed out. Odds are they haven’t quite forgiven me for walking out on ‘em…but I’d bet good money _and_ my second-best suit that they could take what I’ve learned from all of you and put it to good use.”

“Yeah…but it’s gonna suck seeing you go…again.” Scafe still looked depressed at this news, but Eli gave him a pat on the shoulder and a reassuring smile.

“And it's like I told you the last time we were here; I may be leaving, but this won’t be the last time you’ll ever see me. Part of me’s always gonna be with the Society…but right now, there’s something a whole lot bigger calling to me out there; a chance to be the one who helps all my old friends survive here, just like y’all did for me. To quote a cheesy movie line: ‘_Destiny’s been knocking at my door, and I have yet to answer._’ And hey…who knows? Maybe fate will lead me back to you guys one day…but right now, this is something I gotta do. Not just for myself…but for others back home.” Eli closed his eyes for a moment, remembering a time when he made a very similar speech to the Chinkillas’ leader. The fallout of that talk had made him feel as if his life was over in a way; in contrast, this parting felt like the beginning of something new and better.

“Well Eli, I know we’ve been down this road before, but…it’s been a hell of a ride, my friend.” Brian took Eli’s hand for a hearty shake. “Promise us that you’ll come visit every now and then.”

“Pssh, no problem!” Eli scoffed. “_That_ much I can do, at the very least.” 

“Give our regards to the Chinkillas, Drive Mustang~!” Scafe said, giving the thumbs up.

“Well, that’ll be quicker than you think.” Eli grinned as his ears twitched. “Because my boys are already here~” With that, he grabbed his bag in one hand and his staff in the other. “So long, boys; the next time you hear from me, I’ll be Chinkilla once again~! Keep on rocking like you always do, Crimson Society!!” He looked over his shoulder to the arctic wolf chatting with Dante and Matt. “Yo Nessa, you comin’?”

“Oh wow, is it that time already!?” Nessa gave a sharp whistle to bring Hellrion back to her side. “Right behind you, Eli! …Oh man, wait’ll my boyfriend hears about this~…” With a quick wave to the Society, she followed Eli to the Teleporter Room as the other Councilmen looked on.

“W-whoa, what?! Nessa, you too??” Scafe shouted. “Damn…I was gonna ask her if she wanted to join the crew…”

“Looks like she’s following Eli on his personal quest,” Max noted. “We might just see her again one day, too - don’t you agree, Brian?” He turned to regard the spider-bunny, only to find him gone. “Hey…where’s the Sarge?”

Scafe shrugged, also registering the sudden absence of Brian, but Tsuneo only frowned behind his mask. “I think I might know…” he said quietly.

\----------------------------------------------------------------------------

As the rest of the Society continued enjoying themselves, a few of them had headed to the adjacent Reading Room. Hanna and Tim were discussing their adventure while Tavo and Matt listened from the nearby couch.

“Well gentlemen; this will surely make for a great story, will it not?” Hanna’s question elicited a chuckle from Tim.

“Indeed, my friend. This epic tale will make for quite a door-stopper; I hope you have the _time_ to spare~”

“Do the puns _ever_ stop?” Tavo groaned, burying his head under a cushion carried by his magic. “Honestly, I’m on the verge of taking _Marcell’s_ music over this torture…”

“For Hanna…_hell no_ it never stops.” Matt snickered as Tavo repeatedly slammed the cushion on his head with a muffled scream. “As for Tim…hmmm….” His levity evaporated as he glanced at the pegasus-man from the corner of his eye.

“What’s wrong, Matt?” Hanna asked. “You seem to be in a dour mood.”

“Dour? Is that some fancy talk for ‘uneasy’?” Matt asked quizzically. “Not everyone binge-reads the thesaurus every other week, y’know.”

“Not the point, Buena Junior,” Tavo responded, poking his head up from under the cushion. “What’s got you all bothered?”

“Look guys, I’m happy about sticking it to Weiss and his cronies as much as the next guy…but I can’t shake this feeling that we forgot something…or rather...a couple things.” The mantis man’s eyes flicked towards Tim again. “Back in the Cathedral…didn’t you say you were involved with that…‘Clockwork’ thing? Y’know, the guys who turned 1:30 into a loopy murder-monster, according to Zuula?”

Tim flinched almost imperceptibly before turning his head just enough to bring Matt into his view. “I never said that I was _involved_ with them,” he replied coolly. “I simply implied that I _knew of_ them, nothing more…and from what little I know, we would be well-advised to keep _watch_ for their response to dear Wick’s demise.”

Ignoring Tavo’s renewed howling at yet another time pun, Matt stared at Tim expectantly, waiting for any more hints about Clockwork or their plans; when none came, he relented. “Alright, I getcha…sorry to put you on the spot there, man.”

“No harm done,” Tim said airily. “As I said, they could well become a threat in due _time_…but we have other, more pressing concerns. If I remember correctly, there was one more exile from the original Crimson Society that we’ve yet to meet in person…”

“Oh yeah, right!” Matt shook his head as he recalled his original point. “There was talk about Weiss’s older, Nazi-er brother, N.E.D…what the hell ever happened to him? And, for that matter…what was his role in all of this?”

“That is quite the cliffhanger indeed,” Hanna answered. “From what we heard at Azure HQ, Nesmon Locke opted to remain out of the immediate plot, hoping to see both us and Weiss’s ilk come to an untimely end. I imagine that he’s continued his plans in secret, waiting for his time to step into the spotlight proper.”

“Yeah…but what I wanna know is _what the hell_ N.E.D. had to do with Weiss’s brigade,” Tavo piped up. “He barely was around to stop any of us or give his brother a hand…where did he _really_ fit into the Azure Initiative’s bullshit…?”

Before anyone else could respond, Tsuneo, Max, and Scafe came in, having overheard the conversation while looking for Brian. “I don’t claim to know Nesmon any better than I did Weiss,” the zombie began, “but I suspect that he was playing both sides.”

“Care to elaborate on that?” Tim asked.

“It’s simple; he styles himself as a god, but Nesmon’s got a cold, calculating soldier’s mind,” Scafe explained. “He knew that we’d focus all our attention on Weiss and the other Azures; by keeping out of their antics, he could run his underground empire in peace. Weiss was nothing but a pawn to Nesmon; a way to draw attention away from himself and remove a major obstacle to his plans in the process. All that he left to chance was whether the Azure Initiative or the Crimson Society got destroyed.”

“As for his plans…well, there’s definitely world domination and a massive war involved, but the specifics elude me,” Max said. “Whatever the case, I’ve no doubt that we’ll be seeing N.E.D. and the Neo Army very, _very_ soon. After all…” His fists clenched as he spoke. “He always _was_ one for the long game…and he still has to remove _us_ from the equation.”

“Psssh…well, I say bring him on!” Matt laughed. “We beat his brother; he’ll be no different.”

“I wouldn’t be so quick to judge, Matt,” Hanna retorted. “From all I’ve heard, N.E.D. is _nothing_ like Weiss. He is far more cunning, deceptive, cruel and tactical…and that’s just ignoring the fact that he owns a massive army to boot.”

“Exactly,” Max nodded. “Nesmon is a lot like Weiss, but he _doesn’t_ let his emotions cloud his judgement. If _he_ was behind the Azures, we’d never have survived the Iridu City Bombing, much less any of the subsequent battles. Compared to him, Weiss was-”

“Heugh…Max, lemme stop you there,” Scafe interjected. “How ‘bout we worry about Nesmon…when _it’s time to worry about Nesmon!_ Let’s enjoy the good times, guys~!”

“Agreed. We are here to celebrate a great victory,” Tim smiled. “We can focus on the gloomy horizon another _time_.”

“I might have to hold off on the celebration for a bit,” Tsuneo answered back. “There’s something important I need to take care of first.” Without another word, he turned around and walked out of the room, heading for the front door.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

With his fellow Councilmen distracted by Eli’s departure and everyone else occupied in revelry or reflection, Brian had slipped away to be alone with his thoughts (and Zeus). The spider-bunny was now leaning on the railing of the mansion’s front porch, taking in the nighttime sights. From his position, he had a stunning view of the ocean beyond the island; if he glanced to his side, he could just barely make out some of the other facilities that he and his friends had built. Beyond the porch, the snow continued to fall peacefully, illuminated by the moon high above him and the lights of the mansion right behind him.

It was a truly beautiful scene; “_a testament to how far you’ve come amid the boundless glory of nature,_” as Brian’s old mentor would’ve said. Even a year later, the sight never failed to lift the hybrid’s spirits…until now. Tonight, his face showed no enjoyment, only pensive gloom.

“I had a feeling you’d be here.” Brian’s ears perked at Tsuneo’s familiar modulated voice as the revenant emerged from the front door. “Usually, shying away from the party is Zs or your brother’s job.”

“Hehehe…what can I say? Even I gotta have some time to myself once in awhile~” Brian said. “Nothing beats feeling the ocean breeze on my face, looking over everything we’ve made here, and just…letting my mind _wander,_ y’know?” Despite his words, his sigh was more stressed than contented. “Sadly, I can’t say that I like where my mind’s been wandering tonight…”

“What’s eating you, Sarge?” Tsuneo stepped beside Brian, leaning his back on the sturdy wooden railing.

“Well…I’m sure you and some of the others have been pondering N.E.D…”

“Funny coincidence,” Tsuneo responded. “Some of the Society folk were just talking about him. Don’t worry, we’ll cut his ugly head right off his fascist shoulders when he even _thinks_ of rearing it.”

“Don’t I know it…but that’s _not_ what’s really eating me right now.” Brian sighed again. “There’s someone _else_ we forgot…N.E.D.’s ‘secret weapon’ for our beef with Weiss. The mercenary who left us _all_ to suffer death by Clusterfuck 2.0…”

“**Cipher…**” The barest gleam seemed to pass over Tsuneo’s lenses. He hadn’t been present for the cat’s betrayal of Weiss and Society alike, but merely hearing it from his friends made his blood boil. “I knew we couldn’t trust him as far as I could stab him; still, I didn’t expect that he’d be outright _working_ for the enemy all this time.”

“I’m not going to beat around the bush, bro…that cat worries me.” Brian heaved the biggest sigh yet as he looked at the moon peeking out from a gap in the clouds. “I know he’s not half as big a threat as N.E.D. - as far as we know - but knowing that he’s still roaming around out there doesn’t put me at ease. He’s a wild card…a _really_ dangerous wild card.”

“_Agreed…mercenaries are a troublesome bunch,_” Zeus added. “_But Cipher is on a whole ‘nother level from most hired guns; going by his ‘parting words’, I’d say we’re dealing with a vigilante who has his _own_ ideas of justice._”

“Yeah…” Brian nodded numbly as he recalled Cipher’s condemnation of him and the other Councilmen. _It was _you_ so-called boy scouts that let him walk free…_you’re_ just as responsible for Old Iridu City, Zangaikotsu Island, Neo-Tokyo, and all the rest of the Initiative’s nonsense…you freaks could’ve ended this _days_ after it began, but instead you decided to play house…_ Although he’d never admit it, the words had stung him, worse than a whole swarm of Saturn’s wasps. He’d found himself repeatedly going back to them, questioning if there wasn’t a grain of truth to the accusations…

“You worry too much, Sarge.” Tsuneo’s chuckle snapped Brian out of his dark thoughts. “Listen; I won’t deny that Cipher’s a threat in the making. In fact, I’m very much expecting him to resurface sooner rather than later - and when he does, we’ll _gladly_ make him pay for that disrespect - but we can cross that bridge when we get there. For now, let’s head back inside with the others. The party wouldn’t be complete if we weren’t there to join them, right?”

“Heh…yeah, you’re right.” Brian nodded as he took his weight off the railing, flexing his spider limbs with audible cracking noises. Tsuneo straightened up as well and prepared to head inside…only for a gray hand to touch his shoulder. “Hey…Tsuneo…?”

“Yeah?” The undead warrior turned just in time for Brian to catch him in a hug.

“…Thanks man…for everything.” Brian nodded into Tsuneo’s shoulder. “Not just for what you’ve done as a Councilman…but for just being the greatest companion I could ever come to know… I made the right choice when I declared you to be my honorary brother…”

“You’re welcome……now _let go_ of me. This is getting awkward.” Despite his words, the smile behind Tsuneo’s mask was no less earnest than Brian’s.

“Just let it happen, man~ -v-” Brian responded, hugging his friend tighter.

“_If this is not the _gayest_ thing I have ever seen…_” Zeus’s muffled grumbling prompted Brian to let go of Tsuneo with an annoyed scowl.

“Aaannnd the moment is ruined. _Thanks,_ Zeus.”

“I may have to reconsider cutting off that hand after all~” Tsuneo’s hearty snicker betrayed his joke as he resumed leading Brian inside. When the spider-bunny passed through the doorway, he was surprised to find the entire Society gathered in the Lounge, surrounding a large object covered by a cloth.

“Uuuhh…what’s all this then?” Brian asked, looking confused.

“Isn’t it obvious?” JoJo asked rhetorically. “It’s your Christmas present! From all of us!”

“Whoa! Really?!” Brian gasped.

“You better believe it, Bri-Bri!” B.Nana was practically vibrating with excitement. “It’s a big ol’ expression of how awesome we all think you are! Can we show it to him now?”

“Just a little more, Nana.” Deciding that the banana-woman wouldn’t be able to wait much longer, Scafe stepped forward with his best officious throat-clearing. “Ahem…Brian Buena, a.k.a. Sergeant Spider of the Crimson Society…and his Parasite, Zeus. Throughout the Azure Age, you have been our beating heart. From the first purge of the future Azures…all the way to the final battle with Weiss…you have been the glue holding us together; we wouldn’t have come this far without your courage, determination, and belief that we could all overcome our flaws and grow all the stronger for it.”

“And also that _rad-as-hell_ magic pencil- OWWW!!!” Dante’s cry of pain was silenced with Zs’s free hand clamping over his muzzle with all the force of the fingers pinching his ear.

“In recognition of your pivotal role in our fight for the future of the Nexus,” Max continued, “we have pooled our efforts to fulfill a long-held dream of yours. The Crimson Society has rebuilt much of what was once lost - membership, headquarters, unity - but it hasn’t yet developed a new emblem. And so, as the barest token of our eternal friendship and love, allow us to give you-”

“THIIIIIS!!!” Unable to contain herself any longer, B.Nana seized the cloth and gave a mighty tug, revealing what was beneath it. Brian’s jaw dropped as he took in the symbol engraved upon the large metallic disc: a stylized “CS” with three triangular spikes flanking its left edge. It was the spider-bunny’s final design for his faction’s new insignia; he’d been sitting on it for awhile now, but it had never been implemented for one reason or another. 

“Holy…” Brian’s notoriously creative mind failed to provide any adequate words. “This…this is……_amazing_…! How the actual…_how_ did you make this!?”

“The same way we’ve accomplished everything else: together.” Juliet’s smile was visible behind her mask. “This has been in the works ever since you showed the design to the Council - literally _everyone_ chipped in to finish it in time for Christmas. Judging by your stunned expression, I’d say it was worth the effort.”

Brian only stammered wordlessly as he stared at the emblem, prompting a response from Zs, of all people. “You gonna stand there and gawk all night, or are you gonna tell us where you wanna hang this thing?”

That seemed to finally return Brian to his senses; he paused only long enough to wipe a growing dampness from his eyes. “Y…you guys…you’re the best.” He met the eyes of everyone before him as he reached out and brushed the emblem with a hand. “Alright…let’s find a good place for it. I’m thinking somewhere on the wall here; I can draw up a bigger one for the outside later on…”

Although none of the Society members had any real objections to Brian’s initial thought, they all began voicing their own suggestions just for fun. As the discussion continued, each and every one of them couldn’t help but smile at the atmosphere of camaraderie in the lounge; despite their varied backgrounds and more-than-occasional conflicts, it really felt as though they were one big family, taking their first step towards a future full of adventure and promise. Although they knew that there would be challenges and uncertainties ahead of them, they were confident that they would be able to overcome them with the strength of their bonds.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

_We as a group came together for the sake of cooperation. A mutual trust and goal to give not just for each other, but for all who resonate to this ideal. This is a Society, not a military; cooperation, not competition._

_ **We triumph together, or die divided.** _

-Mission Statement of the Crimson Society

###  THE END…OF THE AZURE AGE

**Author's Note:**

> I am LadyIrene #2020 on Discord and Insanity_Lady on Twitter.


End file.
